We consider the stability of warping modes in Keplerian discs. We find them to be parametrically unstable using two lines of attack, one based on three-mode couplings and the other on Floquet theory. We confirm the existence of the instability and investigate its non-linear development in three dimensions, via numerical experiment. The most rapidly growing non-axisymmetric disturbances are the most nearly axisymmetric (low-m) ones. Finally, we offer a simple, somewhat speculative model for the interaction of the parametric instability with the warp. We apply this model to the masing disc in NGC 4258 and show that, provided the warp is not forced too strongly, parametric instability can fix the amplitude of the warp.

Acceleration parametrical excitations have not been taken into account due to the lack of physical significance in macroscopic structures. The explosive development of microtechnology and nanotechnology, however, motivates the investigation of the acceleration parametrically excited systems. The adsorption and desorption effects dramatically change the mass of nano-sized structures, which significantly reduces the precision of nanoscale sensors or can be reasonably utilised to detect molecular mass. This manuscript proposes a non-linear stochastic optimal control strategy for stochastic systems with acceleration parametric excitation based on stochastic averaging of energy envelope and stochastic dynamic programming principle. System acceleration is approximately expressed as a function of system displacement in a short time range under the conditions of light damping and weak excitations, and the acceleration parametrically excited system is shown to be equivalent to a constructed system with an additional displacement parametric excitation term. Then, the controlled system is converted into a partially averaged Itô equation with respect to the total system energy through stochastic averaging of energy envelope, and the optimal control strategy for the averaged system is derived from solving the associated dynamic programming equation. Numerical results for a controlled Duffing oscillator indicate the efficacy of the proposed control strategy.

A novel concept for an optical parametric oscillator based on four-wave mixing (FOPO) in an optical fiber is presented. This setup has the ability of generating highly chirped signal and idler pulses with compressed pulse durations below 600 fs and pulse energies of up to 250 nJ. At a fixed pump wavelength of 1040 nm, the emerging signal and idler wavelengths can be easily tuned between 867 to 918 nm and 1200 to 1300 nm, respectively, only by altering the cavity length. With compressed peak powers >100 kW and a repetition rate of only 785 kHz, this source provides tunable intense ultra-short pulses at moderate average powers. This setup constitutes a stable, simple and in many ways superior alternative to bulk state-of-the-art OPO light converters for demanding biomedical applications and non-linear microspectroscopy. PMID:26368487

Parametricnon-linear regression (PNR) techniques commonly are used to develop weed seedling emergence models. Such techniques, however, require statistical assumptions that are difficult to meet. To examine and overcome these limitations, we compared PNR with a nonparametric estimation technique. F...

Magnetic fields are present on all scales in the Universe. While we understand the processes which amplify the fields fairly well, we do not have a ''natural'' mechanism to generate the small initial seed fields. By using fully relativistic cosmological perturbation theory and going beyond the usual confines of linear theory we show analytically how magnetic fields are generated. This is the first analytical calculation of the magnetic field at second order, using gauge-invariant cosmological perturbation theory, and including all the source terms. To this end, we have rederived the full set of governing equations independently. Our results suggest that magnetic fields of the order of 10{sup -30}- 10{sup -27} G can be generated (although this depends on the small scale cut-off of the integral), which is largely in agreement with previous results that relied upon numerical calculations. These fields are likely too small to act as the primordial seed fields for dynamo mechanisms.

The development of accurate response prediction methods for nonlinear offshore structures is addressed in this study. The Markov approach is adopted for this purpose and the solution methods are illustrated through applications to deepwater offshore systems which include an oceanographic buoy, fixed jacked structures, marine riser systems and a guyed offshore platform. Gaussian and non-Gaussian response predictions for single and multiple degree of freedom systems are presented and discussed at length. The major difficulties associated with Markov methods in dealing with practical systems are the requirements of white noise excitation and the solution of the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation. These problems are addressed through the development of dimensionless shaping filters to produce realistic excitation and the use of moment equations to compute response statistics. The application of these techniques to non-linear systems requires additional closure approximations. The solutions are compared with those from linear spectral analysis, stochastic averaging and time domain simulations.

Stochastic analysis of random heterogeneous media (polycrystalline materials, porous media, functionally graded materials) provides information of significance only if realistic input models of the topology and property variations are used. This paper proposes a framework to construct such input stochastic models for the topology and thermal diffusivity variations in heterogeneous media using a data-driven strategy. Given a set of microstructure realizations (input samples) generated from given statistical information about the medium topology, the framework constructs a reduced-order stochastic representation of the thermal diffusivity. This problem of constructing a low-dimensional stochastic representation of property variations is analogous to the problem of manifold learning and parametric fitting of hyper-surfaces encountered in image processing and psychology. Denote by M the set of microstructures that satisfy the given experimental statistics. A non-linear dimension reduction strategy is utilized to map M to a low-dimensional region, A. We first show that M is a compact manifold embedded in a high-dimensional input space R{sup n}. An isometric mapping F from M to a low-dimensional, compact, connected set A is contained in R{sup d}(d<

Hydropower generation is one of the vital components of reservoir operation, especially for a large multi-purpose reservoir. Deriving optimal operational rules for such a large multi-purpose reservoir serving various purposes like irrigation, hydropower and flood control are complex, because of the large dimension of the problem and the complexity is more if the hydropower production is not an incidental. Thus optimizing the operations of a reservoir serving various purposes requires a systematic study. In the present study such a large multi-purpose reservoir, namely, Koyna reservoir operations are optimized for maximizing the hydropower production subject to the condition of satisfying the irrigation demands using a non-linear programming model. The hydropower production from the reservoir is analysed for three different dependable inflow conditions, representing wet, normal and dry years. For each dependable inflow conditions, various scenarios have been analyzed based on the constraints on the releases and the results are compared. The annual power production, combined monthly power production from all the powerhouses, end of month storage levels, evaporation losses and surplus are discussed. From different scenarios, it is observed that more hydropower can be generated for various dependable inflow conditions, if the restrictions on releases are slightly relaxed. The study shows that Koyna dam is having potential to generate more hydropower.

In this paper, we study the flow of a compressible (density-gradient-dependent) non-linear fluid down an inclined plane, subject to radiation boundary condition. The convective heat transfer is also considered where a source term, similar to the Arrhenius type reaction, is included. The non-dimensional forms of the equations are solved numerically and the competing effects of conduction, dissipation, heat generation and radiation are discussed

In this paper, we study the flow of a compressible (density-gradient-dependent) non-linear fluid down an inclined plane, subject to radiation boundary condition. The convective heat transfer is also considered where a source team, similar to the Arrhenius type reaction, is included. The non-dimensional forms of the equations are solved numerically and the competing effects of conduction, dissipation, heat generation and radiation are discussed.

We study theoretically the interaction of elastic waves caused by non-linearities of rock elastic moduli, and assess the possibility to use this phenomenon in hydrocarbon exploration and in the analysis of rock samples. In our calculations we use the five-constant model by Gol'dberg. It is shown that the interaction of plane waves in isotropic solids is completely described by five coupling coefficients, which have the same order of magnitude. By considering scattering of compressional waves generated by controlled sources at the Earth surface from a non-linear layer at the subsurface, we conclude that non-linear signals from deep formations are unlikely to be measured with the current level of technology. Our analysis of field tests where non-linear signals were measured, suggests that these signals are generated either in the shallow subsurface or in the vicinity of sources. Non-linear wave interaction might be observable in lab tests with focused ultrasonic beams. In this case, the non-linear response is generated in the secondary parametric array formed by linear beams scattered from inclusions. Although the strength of this response is controlled by non-linearity of the surrounding medium rather than by non-linearity of inclusions, its measurement can help to obtain better images of rock samples.

We assess the influence of storage dynamics and non-linearities in hydrological connectivity on runoff generation and stream water ages, using a long-term record of daily isotopes in precipitation and stream flow. These were used to test a parsimonious tracer-aided runoff model for a Scottish catchment. The model tracks tracers and the ages of water fluxes through and between conceptual stores representing steeper hillslopes, dynamically saturated riparian peatlands and deeper groundwater (i.e. the main landscape units involved in runoff generation). Storage is largest in groundwater and on the steep hillslopes, though most dynamic mixing occurs in smaller stores in the riparian peat. The model also couples the ecohydrological effects of different vegetation communities in contrasting landscape units, by estimating evaporation, resulting moisture deficits and the ages of evaporated waters, which also affect the generation and age of runoff. Both stream flow and isotope variations are well-captured by the model, and the simulated storage and tracer dynamics in the main landscape units are consistent with independent measurements. The model predicts the mean age of runoff as ~1.8 years. On a daily basis, this varies from ~1 month in storm events, when younger waters draining the riparian peatland dominate, to around 4 years in dry periods, when groundwater sustains flow. Hydrological connectivity between the units varies non-linearly with storage which depends upon antecedent conditions and event characteristics. This, in turn, determines the spatial distribution of flow paths and the integration of their contrasting non-stationary ages. Improving the representation of storage dynamics and quantifying the ages of water fluxes in such models gives a more complete conceptualisation of the importance of the soil water fluxes in critical zone processes and a framework for tracking diffuse pollutants in water quality assessment.

The requirement to produce high level acoustic noise fields with increasing accuracy in environmental test facilities dictates that a more precise understanding is required of the factors controlling nonlinear noise generation. Details are given of various nonlinear effects found in acoustic performance data taken from the IAR Spacecraft Acoustic Chamber. This type of data has enabled the IAR to test large spacecraft to relatively tight acoustic tolerances over a wide frequency range using manually set controls. An analog random noise automatic control system was available and modified to provide automatic selection of the chamber's spectral sound pressure levels. The automatic control system when used to complete a typical qualification test appeared to equal the accuracy of the manual system and had the added advantage that parallel spectra could be easily achieved during preset tests.

The potential organic non-linear optical single crystal of L-lysine acetate has been grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique (SEST) at room temperature. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group of P21. The crystalline perfection of the grown single crystal has been examined by high resolution X-ray diffraction analysis (HRXRD). The functional groups of the synthesized compound have been identified by 13C NMR, 1H NMR and FTIR analyses. The optical absorption studies show that the crystal is transparent in the entire visible region with a cut-off wavelength of 236 nm. The optical band gap is found to be 5.29 eV. The steady-state PL spectra was recorded for pure L-lysine acetate crystal at room temperature. The third harmonic generation efficiency of the crystal has been evaluated by Z-scan technique and its non-linear optical coefficient has been calculated. Birefringence measurement has been carried out in order to see the optical homogeneity of the grown specimen. Its electrical properties has been assessed by dielectric measurement at different temperatures. The calculated optical band gap is 5.29 eV. Its thermal parameters like thermal diffusivity (α), thermal effusivity (e), thermal conductivity (k) and heat capacity (Cp) have been determined by photopyroelectric technique. Vickers micro hardness studies were carried out using a Vickers hardness tester equipped with a diamond square indenter. The piezoelectric measurement for L-lysine acetate has been also been carried at ambient condition.

In this study, a robust backstepping approach for the control problem of the variable-speed wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator is presented. Specifically, to overcome the negative effects of parametric uncertainties in both mechanical and electrical subsystems, a robust controller with a differentiable compensation term is proposed. The proposed methodology ensures the generator velocity tracking error to uniformly approach a small bound where practical tracking is achieved. Stability of the overall system is ensured by Lyapunov-based arguments. Comparative simulation studies with a standard proportional-integral-type controller are performed to illustrate the effectiveness, feasibility and efficiency of the proposed controller.

Advances in laser-based hadron generation, especially with respect to particle energy, as well as reaching the new regime of radiation dominated plasmas and non-linear QED, require laser fields of Petavolts per meter that preferably interact with very high density, overcritical plasmas. To achieve these conditions we are upgrading the Texas Petawatt Laser both respect to on-target laser intensity and laser-contrast, aiming to reach intensities of ~ 5x1022 W/cm2 and pulse contrast parameters allowing the interaction with overcritical, yet ultrathin, sub-micron targets. We will report on the planned experiments aimed at ion acceleration, neutron generation and the first experimental measurement of radiation reactions to motivate the chosen upgrade parameters. We will further report on the technical changes to the laser and present first measurements of the achieved intensity and contrast parameters. This work was supported by NNSA cooperative agreement DE-NA0002008, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's PULSE program (12-63-PULSE-FP014), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-14-1-0045) and the National Institute of Health SBIR.

To date, all-optical sources of high-energy (>MeV) photons have only been reported in the linear (a0 < 1) regime of Thomson scattering using laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). We present novel results of high-brightness, high-energy photons generated via non-linear Thomson scattering using the two-beam Astra-Gemini laser facility. With one 300 TW beam, electrons were first accelerated to 500 MeV energies inside gas cells through the process of LWFA. A second 300 TW laser pulse focused to a0 = 2 was subsequently scattered off these electrons, resulting in a highly directional, small source size, and short pulse beam of photons with >10 MeV energies. The photon beam was propagated through a low- Z converter and produced Compton-scattered electrons that were spectrally measured by magnetic deflection and correlated with the incident photons. The measured photon yield at 15 MeV was 2 ×106 photons/MeV and, when coupled with the small source size, divergence, and pulse duration, results in a record peak brightness of 2 ×1019 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%bandwidth at 15 MeV photon energy. Current Affiliation: Stanford University/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

A system and method of characterizing properties of a medium from a non-linear interaction are include generating, by first and second acoustic sources disposed on a surface of the medium on a first line, first and second acoustic waves. The first and second acoustic sources are controllable such that trajectories of the first and second acoustic waves intersect in a mixing zone within the medium. The method further includes receiving, by a receiver positioned in a plane containing the first and second acoustic sources, a third acoustic wave generated by a non-linear mixing process from the first and second acoustic waves in the mixing zone; and creating a first two-dimensional image of non-linear properties or a first ratio of compressional velocity and shear velocity, or both, of the medium in a first plane generally perpendicular to the surface and containing the first line, based on the received third acoustic wave.

We address the application of differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) of scattered light observations in the presence of strong absorbers (in particular ozone), for which the absorption optical depth is a non-linear function of the trace gas concentration. This is the case because Beer-Lambert law generally does not hold for scattered light measurements due to many light paths contributing to the measurement. While in many cases linear approximation can be made, for scenarios with strong absorptions non-linear effects cannot always be neglected. This is especially the case for observation geometries, for which the light contributing to the measurement is crossing the atmosphere under spatially well-separated paths differing strongly in length and location, like in limb geometry. In these cases, often full retrieval algorithms are applied to address the non-linearities, requiring iterative forward modelling of absorption spectra involving time-consuming wavelength-by-wavelength radiative transfer modelling. In this study, we propose to describe the non-linear effects by additional sensitivity parameters that can be used e.g. to build up a lookup table. Together with widely used box air mass factors (effective light paths) describing the linear response to the increase in the trace gas amount, the higher-order sensitivity parameters eliminate the need for repeating the radiative transfer modelling when modifying the absorption scenario even in the presence of a strong absorption background. While the higher-order absorption structures can be described as separate fit parameters in the spectral analysis (so-called DOAS fit), in practice their quantitative evaluation requires good measurement quality (typically better than that available from current measurements). Therefore, we introduce an iterative retrieval algorithm correcting for the higher-order absorption structures not yet considered in the DOAS fit as well as the absorption dependence on

Double arm configuration using parallel manipulator mimic the human arm motions either for planar or spatial space. These configurations are currently lucrative for researchers as it also replaces human workers without major redesign of work-place in industries. Humans' joint ranges limitation of arms can be resolved by replacement of either revolute or spherical joints in manipulator. Hence, the scope of maximum workspace utilization is prevailed. Planar configuration with five revolute joints (5R) is considered to imitate human arm motions in a plane using Double Arm Manipulator (DAM). Position analysis for tool that can be held in end links of configuration is carried out using Pro/mechanism in Creo® as well as SimMechanics. D-H parameters are formulated and its results derived using developed MATLAB programs are compared with mechanism simulation as well as SimMechanics results. Inverse kinematics model is developed for trajectory planning in order to trace tool trajectory in a continuous and smooth sequence. Polynomial functions are derived for position, velocity and acceleration for linear and non-linear curves in joint space. Analytical results obtained for trajectory planning are validated with simulation results of Creo®.

Recently, attempts to improve decision making in species management have focussed on uncertainties associated with modelling temporal fluctuations in populations. Reducing model uncertainty is challenging; while larger samples improve estimation of species trajectories and reduce statistical errors, they typically amplify variability in observed trajectories. In particular, traditional modelling approaches aimed at estimating population trajectories usually do not account well for nonlinearities and uncertainties associated with multi-scale observations characteristic of large spatio-temporal surveys. We present a Bayesian semi-parametric hierarchical model for simultaneously quantifying uncertainties associated with model structure and parameters, and scale-specific variability over time. We estimate uncertainty across a four-tiered spatial hierarchy of coral cover from the Great Barrier Reef. Coral variability is well described; however, our results show that, in the absence of additional model specifications, conclusions regarding coral trajectories become highly uncertain when considering multiple reefs, suggesting that management should focus more at the scale of individual reefs. The approach presented facilitates the description and estimation of population trajectories and associated uncertainties when variability cannot be attributed to specific causes and origins. We argue that our model can unlock value contained in large-scale datasets, provide guidance for understanding sources of uncertainty, and support better informed decision making. PMID:25364915

A method and system includes generating a first coded acoustic signal including pulses each having a modulated signal at a central frequency; and a second coded acoustic signal each pulse of which includes a modulated signal a central frequency of which is a fraction d of the central frequency of the modulated signal for the corresponding pulse in the first plurality of pulses. A receiver detects a third signal generated by a non-linear mixing process in the mixing zone and the signal is processed to extract the third signal to obtain an emulated micro-seismic event signal occurring at the mixing zone; and to characterize properties of the medium or creating a 3D image of the properties of the medium, or both, based on the emulated micro-seismic event signal.

More than two decades ago, Kindle and Thompson (1989; JGR, volume 94, 4721-4736) showed that in the western equatorial Indian Ocean (WEIO) at periods less than a month could be generated in an ocean model, even though the monthly-mean winds used to force the model did not resolve these shorter time scales. The authors speculated that the 26-day variability consisted of Yanai waves that were excited by instabilities in Southern Gyre (SG) Current system. Just how the instabilities, which are generated north of the equator, can trigger equatorial waves has remained an unresolved question. Here, we use models to analyze the processes associated with the generation of WEIO Yanai waves, and find that both winds and eddies associated with SG contribute. We demonstrate that Yanai waves are forced by the meridional wind stress everywhere in the WEIO, most strongly during the monsoon seasons. They are forced both directly in the interior ocean and by reflection of the interior response from the western boundary; interference between the interior and boundary responses results in a complex surface pattern, that both propagates eastward and has offshore nodes. We also show that off-equatorial eddies associated with the SG current system force Yanai waves only when the eddies are advected across the equator in a region offshore from the western boundary (52-55E) during June/July. There, they generate a westward-propagating, cross-equatorial flow field, Veq , with a wave number/frequency spectrum that fits the dispersion relation of a number of Yanai waves, and it is these waves that are efficiently excited. The implications of this study are twofold. First, the major part of the Yanai wave response in the WEIO, which is the most unstable region in IO, is forced by the wind not the instabilities. Second, we provide an answer to the two-decade-old question of how off-equatorial instabilities can force equatorial waves; this connection between the nonlinear eddies and the linear

Theoretical phase-field simulations predict that certain types of superlattices consisting of alternating (BaTiO3)n/(SrTiO3)n layers have novel vortex domain wall configurations which give rise to exceptionally high polarization tunability combined with negligible polarization hysteresis. Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) was used to probe the phase and transition temperatures of multilayer (BaTiO3)m/(SrTiO3)n superlattices, as a function of epitaxial strain. In addition, in-plane electro-optic measurements were carried out. The experimental results are in excellent agreement both with theoretical predictions, as well as the temperature-strain phase diagram obtained experimentally from UV Raman studies. The ferroelectric, in-plane SHG signal, from the tensile strained SrTiO3 layers reveals an mm2 point group symmetry, whereas the point group symmetry of the compressively strained BaTiO3 layers, was determined to be 4mm.

Software that simulates and inverts electromagnetic field data for subsurface electrical properties (electrical conductivity) of geological media. The software treats data produced by a time harmonic source field excitation arising from the following antenna geometery: loops and grounded bipoles, as well as point electric and magnetic dioples. The inversion process is carried out using a non-linear conjugate gradient optimization scheme, which minimizes the misfit between field data and model data using a least squares criteria.more » The software is an upgrade from the code NLCGCS_MP ver 1.0. The upgrade includes the following components: Incorporation of new 1 D field sourcing routines to more accurately simulate the 3D electromagnetic field for arbitrary geologic& media, treatment for generalized finite length transmitting antenna geometry (antennas with vertical and horizontal component directions). In addition, the software has been upgraded to treat transverse anisotropy in electrical conductivity.« less

In a parametric oscillator of a special two-sectional design based on a lithium niobate periodic structure, a cascade frequency generation regime was observed in which a signal wave pumped a secondary parametric oscillator, producing secondary signal and idler waves. The secondary parametric oscillator can be tuned in a broad range of {approx}200 nm with respect to a fixed wavelength of the primary idler wave. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

We propose a method to generate quadrature-squeezed states of a moving mirror in a Fabry-Perot cavity. This is achieved by exploiting the fact that when the cavity is driven by an external field with a large detuning, the moving mirror behaves as a parametric oscillator. We show that parametric resonance can be reached approximately by modulating the driving field amplitude at a frequency matching the frequency shift of the mirror. The parametric resonance leads to an efficient generation of squeezing, which is limited by the thermal noise of the environment.

Nonlinear instabilities are responsible for spontaneous pattern formation in a vast number of natural and engineered systems, ranging from biology to galaxy buildup. We propose a new instability mechanism leading to pattern formation in spatially extended nonlinear systems, which is based on a periodic antiphase modulation of spectrally dependent losses arranged in a zigzag way: an effective filtering is imposed at symmetrically located wave numbers k and -k in alternating order. The properties of the dissipative parametric instability differ from the features of both key classical concepts of modulation instabilities, i.e., the Benjamin-Feir instability and the Faraday instabiltyity. We demonstrate how the dissipative parametric instability can lead to the formation of stable patterns in one- and two-dimensional systems. The proposed instability mechanism is generic and can naturally occur or can be implemented in various physical systems.

Nonlinear instabilities are responsible for spontaneous pattern formation in a vast number of natural and engineered systems, ranging from biology to galaxy buildup. We propose a new instability mechanism leading to pattern formation in spatially extended nonlinear systems, which is based on a periodic antiphase modulation of spectrally dependent losses arranged in a zigzag way: an effective filtering is imposed at symmetrically located wave numbers k and -k in alternating order. The properties of the dissipative parametric instability differ from the features of both key classical concepts of modulation instabilities, i.e., the Benjamin-Feir instability and the Faraday instabiltyity. We demonstrate how the dissipative parametric instability can lead to the formation of stable patterns in one- and two-dimensional systems. The proposed instability mechanism is generic and can naturally occur or can be implemented in various physical systems. PMID:26824573

Generation of wideband optical frequency combs requires precise balance between nonlinear photon interaction and parasitic effects. While near-octave combs can be generated in both silica and silicon waveguides, it is not always possible to suppress the noise across the operational bandwidth. Principles and challenges of noiseinhibited, tunable frequency comb generation in cavity-free parametric mixers are described and discussed.

The algorithm for surface modeling and volume grid generation using parametric Non-Uniform Rational B-splines (NURBS) geometric representation are presented. The enhanced re-parameterization algorithm which can yield a desired physical distribution on the curve, surface, and volume is also presented. This approach bridges the gap between computer aided design surface/volume definition and surface/volume grid generation.

This paper presents a robust method for the generation of zonal volume grids of design parametrics for aerodynamic configurations. The process utilizes simple algebraic techniques with parametric splines coupled with elliptic volume grid generation to generate isolated zonal grids for changes in body configuration needed to perform parametric design studies. Speed of the algorithm is maximized through the algebraic methods and reduced number of grid points to be regenerated for each design parametric without sacrificing grid quality and continuity within the volume domain. The method is directly applicable to grid reusability, because it modifies existing ow adapted volume grids and enables the user to restart the CFD solution process with an established flow field. Use of this zonal approach reduces computer usage time to create new volume grids for design parametric studies by an order of magnitude, as compared to current methods which require the regeneration of an entire volume grid. A sample configuration of a proposed Single Stage-to-Orbit Vehicle is used to illustrate an application of this method.

An analytical investigation is made for the Infrared parametricgeneration in doped semiconductor plasma under phase mismatch condition. Theoretical formulations are undertaken to determine induced polarization and threshold pump field for the onset of parametricgeneration in semiconductor plasma medium. The origin of this nonlinear interaction lies in the second order optical susceptibility arising due to the induced nonlinear current density in piezoelectric medium. Numerical estimations are made for n- type InSb at 77 K duly irradiated by a pulsed 10.6µm CO{sub 2} laser. It is very difficult to attain exact phase matching in experimental frame so we have considered a tolerable small phase mismatch in order to attain a new result. Its effect on the Infrared parametricgeneration in compound semiconductor is examined through induced polarization. Transmitted intensity is determined to have an idea about conversion efficiency of the said process. Phase mismatch tends to raise the required pump field to stimulate the parametricgeneration. Transmitted intensity is found to decrease with coherence length lc and increase carrier concentration n{sub 0}, which is favorable for improved conversion efficiency.

Atherosclerosis is among the most widespread cardiovascular diseases and one of the leading cause of death in the Western World. Characterization of arterial tissue in atherosclerotic condition is extremely interesting from the diagnostic point of view. Routinely used diagnostic methods, such as histopathological examination, are limited to morphological analysis of the examined tissues, whereas an exhaustive characterization requires a morpho-functional approach. Multimodal non-linear microscopy has the potential to bridge this gap by providing morpho-functional information on the examined tissues in a label-free way. Here we employed multiple non-linear microscopy techniques, including CARS, TPF, and SHG to provide intrinsic optical contrast from various tissue components in both arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaques. CARS and TPF microscopy were used to respectively image lipid depositions within plaques and elastin in the arterial wall. Cholesterol deposition in the lumen and collagen in the arterial wall were selectively imaged by SHG microscopy and distinguished by forward-backward SHG ratio. Image pattern analysis allowed characterizing collagen organization in different tissue regions. Different values of fiber mean size, distribution and anisotropy are calculated for lumen and media prospectively allowing for automated classification of atherosclerotic lesions. The presented method represents a promising diagnostic tool for evaluating atherosclerotic tissue and has the potential to find a stable place in clinical setting as well as to be applied in vivo in the near future.

Parametric microwave resonators implemented with superconducting circuits have become increasingly important in various application within quantum information processing. For example, quantum-limited parametric amplifiers based on these devices have now become commonplace as first-stage amplifiers for qubit experiments. Here we study the generation of multimode entangled states of propagating microwave photons, which can be used a resource in quantum computing and communication applications. We use a CPW resonator with a low fundamental resonance frequency that than has a number of modes in the common frequency band of 4-12 GHz. These modes are all parametrically coupled by a single SQUID that terminates the resonator. When parametrically pumping the system at the sum of two mode frequencies, we observe parametric downconversion and two-mode squeezing. By pumping at the difference frequency, we observe a beamsplitter-like mode conversion. By using multiple pump tones that combine these different processes, theory predicts we can construct multimode entangled states with a well-controlled entanglement structure, e.g., cluster states. Preliminary measurements will be presented.

As the climate models (GCMs and RCMs) fail to satisfactorily reproduce the real-world surface weather regime, various statistical methods are applied to downscale GCM/RCM outputs into site-specific weather series. The stochastic weather generators are among the most favourite downscaling methods capable to produce realistic (observed like) meteorological inputs for agrological, hydrological and other impact models used in assessing sensitivity of various ecosystems to climate change/variability. To name their advantages, the generators may (i) produce arbitrarily long multi-variate synthetic weather series representing both present and changed climates (in the latter case, the generators are commonly modified by GCM/RCM-based climate change scenarios), (ii) be run in various time steps and for multiple weather variables (the generators reproduce the correlations among variables), (iii) be interpolated (and run also for sites where no weather data are available to calibrate the generator). This contribution will compare two stochastic daily weather generators in terms of their ability to reproduce various features of the daily weather series. M&Rfi is a parametricgenerator: Markov chain model is used to model precipitation occurrence, precipitation amount is modelled by the Gamma distribution, and the 1st order autoregressive model is used to generate non-precipitation surface weather variables. The non-parametric GoMeZ generator is based on the nearest neighbours resampling technique making no assumption on the distribution of the variables being generated. Various settings of both weather generators will be assumed in the present validation tests. The generators will be validated in terms of (a) extreme temperature and precipitation characteristics (annual and 30 years extremes and maxima of duration of hot/cold/dry/wet spells); (b) selected validation statistics developed within the frame of VALUE project. The tests will be based on observational weather series

A compact cascaded optical parametric device generating a coherent pulse terahertz (THz) wave is demonstrated. The terahertz parametric oscillator (TPO) and the difference frequency generation (DFG) are designed for cascaded operation use with two outputs producing tunable THz wavelengths. From the first optical parametric device, a TPO with a MgO: LiNbO3 crystal pumped by a Q switch laser of 1.064 μm, 1.8 mJ idler pulse and 5.5 mJ residual pump pulse is obtained. Both of the two beams are employed as the pump and signal beams in the second optical parametric device DFG with a GaSe crystal. More than 0.6 μJ and about 2.1 ns THz pulse at 183 μm is achieved from the DFG. A tunable THz source in the range 104–226 μm via tuning the external phase matching (PM) angles of the TPO and the DFG flexibly under room temperature is obtained. The observed tunable THz wavelengths from the DFG are the same as those from the TPO.

As the climate models (GCMs and RCMs) fail to satisfactorily reproduce the real-world surface weather regime, various statistical methods are applied to downscale GCM/RCM outputs into site-specific weather series. The stochastic weather generators are among the most favourite downscaling methods capable to produce realistic (observed-like) meteorological inputs for agrological, hydrological and other impact models used in assessing sensitivity of various ecosystems to climate change/variability. To name their advantages, the generators may (i) produce arbitrarily long multi-variate synthetic weather series representing both present and changed climates (in the latter case, the generators are commonly modified by GCM/RCM-based climate change scenarios), (ii) be run in various time steps and for multiple weather variables (the generators reproduce the correlations among variables), (iii) be interpolated (and run also for sites where no weather data are available to calibrate the generator). This contribution will compare two stochastic daily weather generators in terms of their ability to reproduce various features of the daily weather series. M&Rfi is a parametricgenerator: Markov chain model is used to model precipitation occurrence, precipitation amount is modelled by the Gamma distribution, and the 1st order autoregressive model is used to generate non-precipitation surface weather variables. The non-parametric GoMeZ generator is based on the nearest neighbours resampling technique making no assumption on the distribution of the variables being generated. Various settings of both weather generators will be assumed in the present validation tests. The generators will be validated in terms of (a) extreme temperature and precipitation characteristics (annual and 30-years extremes and maxima of duration of hot/cold/dry/wet spells); (b) selected validation statistics developed within the frame of VALUE project. The tests will be based on observational weather series

A Parametric System Model (PSM) was created in order to explore conceptual designs, the impact of component changes and power level on the performance of Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG). Using the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS approximately 250 watt thermal) modules as the thermal building block around which a SRG is conceptualized, trade studies are performed to understand the importance of individual component scaling on isotope usage. Mathematical relationships based on heat and power throughput, temperature, mass and volume were developed for each of the required subsystems. The PSM uses these relationships to perform component and system level trades.

A Parametric System Model (PSM) was created in order to explore conceptual designs, the impact of component changes and power level on the performance of the Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG). Using the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS approximately 250 Wth) modules as the thermal building block from which a SRG is conceptualized, trade studies are performed to understand the importance of individual component scaling on isotope usage. Mathematical relationships based on heat and power throughput, temperature, mass, and volume were developed for each of the required subsystems. The PSM uses these relationships to perform component- and system-level trades.

The objective of this Phase I project is to develop a highly automated software system for rapid geometry modeling and grid generation for turbomachinery applications. The proposed system features a graphical user interface for interactive control, a direct interface to commercial CAD/PDM systems, support for IGES geometry output, and a scripting capability for obtaining a high level of automation and end-user customization of the tool. The developed system is fully parametric and highly automated, and, therefore, significantly reduces the turnaround time for 3D geometry modeling, grid generation and model setup. This facilitates design environments in which a large number of cases need to be generated, such as for parametric analysis and design optimization of turbomachinery equipment. In Phase I we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the approach. The system has been tested on a wide variety of turbomachinery geometries, including several impellers and a multi stage rotor-stator combination. In Phase II, we plan to integrate the developed system with turbomachinery design software and with commercial CAD/PDM software.

Non-linear three-wave interaction is analysed for propagation along a cylindrical plasma column surrounded by an infinite dielectric, in the absence of a static magnetic field. An averaged-Lagrangian method is used, and the results are specialized to parametric interaction and mode conversion, assuming an undepleted pump wave. The theory for these two types of interactions is extended to include imperfect synchronism, and the effects of loss. Computations are presented indicating that parametric growth rates of the order of a fraction of a decibel per centimeter should be obtainable for plausible laboratory plasma column parameters.

Multifunctional europium doped Li 2O-Nb 2O 3-B 2O 2 glass has been prepared by melt-quench method. Through subsequent heat treatments glass has then been transformed into glass ceramics containing ferroelectric LiNbO 3 phase. The glass ceramics have shown enhanced Eu 3+ emission compared to parent glass when excited by 266 nm radiation. The emission measurements of glass ceramics have also shown the presence of Eu 2+ state along with Eu 3+ and Eu 2+ state was found to increase when glass was heated in inert atmosphere. Lifetime of the 5D 0 level of the Eu 3+ has been measured and a significant increase is found in case of glass ceramic prepared around glass transition temperature. Glass ceramics have also shown good second harmonic generation (SHG) with pulsed 1064 nm laser excitation.

A strategy for non-linear stochastic optimal control of strongly non-linear systems subject to external and/or parametric excitations of bounded noise is proposed. A stochastic averaging procedure for strongly non-linear systems under external and/or parametric excitations of bounded noise is first developed. Then, the dynamical programming equation for non-linear stochastic optimal control of the system is derived from the averaged Itô equations by using the stochastic dynamical programming principle and solved to yield the optimal control law. The Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation associated with the fully completed averaged Itô equations is solved to give the response of optimally controlled system. The application and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy are illustrated with the control of cable vibration in cable-stayed bridges and the feedback stabilization of the cable under parametric excitation of bounded noise.

``Guided streamers'' or ``plasma jets'' can be generated in open air by applying rf or impulse voltages to a microdischarge through which there is a flow of helium. For flow conditions such that a helium column surrounded by air extends some distance (centimeters) past the exit of the microdischarge, a plasma jet can be initiated. Previous works have shown that this is essentially a streamer propagating in the easily-ionized helium column and impeded from branching by the surrounding air. For many applications, it is of interest to understand the parameters controlling the properties of the plasma jet. To this end, we present results from a series of parametric calculations using our previously published model to identify the influence of the microdischarge configuration on the generation, propagation, and properties of the plasma jet. We focus mainly on a geometry with hollow, concentric electrodes separated by a dielectric tube corresponding to the experiments of Douat et al., and we vary the dimensions and relative off-set of the electrodes, applying an impulse voltage or the experimental waveform to the inner electrode. For the same applied voltage waveform, parameters which influence the electric field and electron density in the plasma jet are the dielectric permittivity, the tube diameter, and the dielectric length. Support by the French National Research Agency project PAMPA.

Low-photon-number sources can exhibit non-classical, counterintuitive behavior that can be exploited in the developing field of quantum technology. Single photons play a special role in this arena since they represent the ultimate lowphoton- number source. They are considered an important element in various applications such as quantum key distribution, optical quantum information processing, quantum computing, intensity measurement standards, and others yet to be discovered in this developing field. True deterministic sources of single photons on demand are currently an area of intensive research, but have not been demonstrated in a practical setting. As a result, researchers commonly default to the well-established workhorse: spontaneous parametric down-conversion generating entangled signal-idler pairs. Since this source is thermal-statistical in nature, it is common to use a detected idler photon to herald the production of a signal photon. The need exists to determine the quality of the single photons generated in the heralded signal beam. Quite often, the literature reports a "heralded second-order coherence function" of the signal photons conditioned on the idler photons using readily available single-photon detectors. In this work, we examine the applicability of this technique to single-photon characterization and the consequences of the fact that the most commonly used single-photon detectors are not photon-number resolving. Our results show that this method using non-photonresolving detectors can only be used to characterize the signal-idler correlations rather than the nature of the signalphoton state alone.

This paper applies a Bayesian approach to examine non-linearity for the 1-D magnetotelluric (MT) inverse problem. In a Bayesian formulation the posterior probability density (PPD), which combines data and prior information, is interpreted in terms of parameter estimates and uncertainties, which requires optimizing and integrating the PPD. Much work on 1-D MT inversion has been based on (approximate) linearized solutions, but more recently fully non-linear (numerical) approaches have been applied. This paper directly compares results of linearized and non-linear uncertainty estimation for 1-D MT inversion; to do so, advanced methods for both approaches are applied. In the non-linear formulation used here, numerical optimization is carried out using an adaptive-hybrid algorithm. Numerical integration applies Metropolis-Hastings sampling, rotated to a principal-component parameter space for efficient sampling of correlated parameters, and employing non-unity sampling temperatures to ensure global sampling. Since appropriate model parametrizations are generally not known a priori, both under- and overparametrized approaches are considered. For underparametrization, the Bayesian information criterion is applied to determine the number of layers consistent with the resolving power of the data. For overparametrization, prior information is included which favours simple structure in a manner similar to regularized inversion. The data variance and/or trade-off parameter regulating data and prior information are treated in several ways, including applying fixed optimal estimates (an empirical Bayesian approach) or including them as hyperparameters in the sampling (hierarchical Bayesian). The latter approach has the benefit of accounting for the uncertainty in the hyperparameters in estimating model parameter uncertainties. Non-linear and linearized inversion results are compared for synthetic test cases and for the measured COPROD1 MT data by considering marginal probability

The whole spectrum of medicine consists of complex non-linear systems that are balanced and interact with each other. How non-linearity confers stability on a system and explains variation and uncertainty in clinical medicine is discussed. A major theme is that a small alteration in initial conditions may have a major effect on the end result. In the context of non-linearity, it is argued that 'evidence-based medicine' (EBM) as it exists today can only ever be relevant to a small fraction of the domain of medicine, that the 'art of medicine' consists of an intuitive 'tuning in' to these complex systems and as such is not so much an art as an expression of non-linear science. The main cause of iatrogenic disease is interpreted as a failure to understand the complexity of the systems being treated. Case study examples are given and analysed in non-linear terms. It is concluded that good medicine concerns individualized treatment of an individual patient whose body functions are governed by non-linear processes. EBM as it exists today paints with a broad and limited brush, but it does promise a fresh new direction. In this context, we need to expand the spectrum of scientific medicine to include non-linearity, and to look upon the 'art of medicine' as a historical (but unstated) legacy in this domain. PMID:12787180

Experiments at CWRU have developed organic cavity polaritons that display world-record vacuum Rabi splittings of more than an eV. This ultrastrongly coupled polaritonic matter is a new regime for exploring non-linear optical effects. We apply quantum optics theory to quantitatively determine various non-linear optical effects including types of low harmonic generation (SHG and THG) in single and double cavity polariton systems. Ultrastrongly coupled photon-matter systems such as these may be the foundation for technologies including low-power optical switching and computing.

In this paper, first, by introducing Holstein-Primakoff representation of α-deformed algebra, we achieve the associated non-linear coherent states, including su(2) and su(1, 1) coherent states. Second, by using waveguide lattices with specific coupling coefficients between neighbouring channels, we generate these non-linear coherent states. In the case of positive values of α, we indicate that the Hilbert size space is finite; therefore, we construct this coherent state with finite channels of waveguide lattices. Finally, we study the field distribution behaviours of these coherent states, by using Mandel Q parameter.

The stability of non-linear Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) model developed in [1] was tested. The area of the stable region in transverse coordinates and the maximum attainable tune spread were found as a function of non-linear lens strength. Particle loss as a function of turn number was analyzed to determine whether a dynamic aperture limitation present in the system. The system was also tested with sextupoles included in the machine for chromaticity compensation. A method of evaluation of the beam size in the linear part of the accelerator was proposed.

A non-linear filter for image post processing based on the feedforward Neural Network topology is presented. This study was undertaken to investigate the usefulness of "smart" filters in image post processing. The filter has shown to be useful in recovering high frequencies, such as those lost during the JPEG compression-decompression process. The filtered images have a higher signal to noise ratio, and a higher perceived image quality. Simulation studies comparing the proposed filter with the optimum mean square non-linear filter, showing examples of the high frequency recovery, and the statistical properties of the filter are given,

A method is presented for calculating the stress-strain relations in a multi-layer composite made up of materials whose individual stress-strain characteristics are non-linear and possibly different. The method is applied to the case of asymmetric tubes in tension, and comparisons with experimentally measured data are given.

A simple, non-linear generalization of the MSW equation is presented and its analytic solution is outlined. The orbits of the polarization vector are shown to be periodic, and to lie on a sphere. Their non-trivial flow patterns fall into two topological categories, the more complex of which can become chaotic if perturbed.

We show that a strong infrared laser beam obliquely incident on graphene can experience a parametric instability with respect to decay into lower-frequency (idler) photons and THz surface plasmons. The instability is due to a strong in-plane second-order nonlinear response of graphene which originates from its spatial dispersion. The parametric decay leads to efficient generation of THz plasmons and gives rise to quantum entanglement of idler photons and surface plasmon states.

An elliptic grid generation method, which generates boundary conforming grids in a two dimensional physical space, is presented. The method is based on the composition of an algebraic and elliptic transformation. The composite mapping obeys the Poisson grid generation system with control functions specified by the algebraic transformation. It is shown that the grid generation on a minimal surface in a three dimensional space is equivalent to the grid generation in a two dimensional domain in physical space. A second elliptic grid generation method, which generates boundary conforming grids on smooth surfaces, is presented. Concerning surface modeling, it is shown that bicubic Hermit interpolation is an excellent method to generate a smooth surface crossing a discrete set of control points.

We combined a non-linear microscope with a sensitive prism-based spectrograph and employed it for the imaging of the auto fluorescence of skin tissues. The system has a sub-micron spatial resolution and a spectral resolution of better than 5 nm. The spectral images contain signals arising from two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) of endogenous fluorophores in the skin and from second harmonic generation (SHG) produced by the collagen fibers, which have non-centrosymmetric structure. Non-linear microscopy has the potential to image deep into optically thick specimens because it uses near-infrared (NIR) laser excitation. In addition, the phototoxicity of the technique is comparatively low. Here, the technique is used for the spectral imaging of unstained skin tissue sections. We were able to image weak cellular autofluorescence as well as strong collagen SHG. The images were analyzed by spectral unmixing and the results exhibit a clear spectral signature for the different skin layers.

A linear theory of the new non-linear photovoltaic effect in the closed circuit consisting of a non-uniformly illuminated uniform bipolar semiconductor with neutral impurities is developed. The non-uniform photo-excitation of impurities results in the position-dependant current carrier mobility that breaks the semiconductor homogeneity and induces the photo-electromotive force (emf). As both the electron (or hole) mobility gradient and the current carrier generation rate depend on the light intensity, the photo-emf and the short-circuit current prove to be non-linear functions of the incident light intensity at an arbitrarily low illumination. The influence of the sample size on the photovoltaic effect magnitude is studied. Physical relations and distinctions between the considered effect and the Dember and bulk photovoltaic effects are also discussed.

We consider a dark energy fluid with arbitrary sound speed and equation of state and discuss the effect of its clustering on the cold dark matter distribution at the non-linear level. We write the continuity, Euler and Poisson equations for the system in the Newtonian approximation. Then, using the time renormalization group method to resum perturbative corrections at all orders, we compute the total clustering power spectrum and matter power spectrum. At the linear level, a sound speed of dark energy different from that of light modifies the power spectrum on observationally interesting scales, such as those relevant for baryonic acoustic oscillations. We show that the effect of varying the sound speed of dark energy on the non-linear corrections to the matter power spectrum is below the per cent level, and therefore these corrections can be well modelled by their counterpart in cosmological scenarios with smooth dark energy. We also show that the non-linear effects on the matter growth index can be as large as 10–15 per cent for small scales.

Scintillation light is often detected by photo-multiplier tube (PMT) technology. PMTs are however intrinsically nonlinear devices, especially when operated with high light yield scintillators and high input photon flux. Many physical effects (e.g. inter-dynode field variation, photocathode resistivity, etc.) can spoil the ideal PMT behavior in terms of gain, ending up in what are addressed as the under-linearity and over-linearity effects. Established techniques implemented in the PMT base (e.g. increasing bleeding current, active voltage divider, etc.) can mitigate these effects, but given the unavoidable spread in manufacturing and materials, it turns out that, with respect to linearity at the percent level, every PMT sample is a story of its own. The residual nonlinearity is usually accounted for with polynomial correction of the spectrum energy scale, starting from the position of a few known energy peaks of calibration sources, but uncertainly remains in between of calibration peaks. We propose to retrieve the calibration information from the entire energy spectrum and not only the position of full energy peaks (FEP), by means of an automatic procedure that also takes into account the quality (signal/noise ratio) of the information about the non-linearity extracted from the various regions of the spectrum.

We propose visible-to-infrared frequency conversion method that is based on difference frequency generation and two-stage collinear optical parametric amplification in BBO crystal. The proof-of-principle experiments demonstrate efficient frequency down conversion of sub-30 fs pulses from a commercial blue-pumped noncollinear optical parametric amplifier that yields generation of sub-30-fs broadly tunable pulses in the range of 1.2 to 2.4 μm with up to 100 μJ energy.

A study is made of an in-line slider crank mechanism in which the sliding mass is elastically supported. The ratio of crank length to connecting rod length is not assumed small and relatively large displacements of the support are allowed. Ordinary and parametricnon-linear terms are thus retained in the equations of motion. It is shown that the presence of parametric terms gives rise to additional conditions for resonance in the support motion. Approximate solutions are obtained for the fundamental and half subharmonic steady state responses and the effect of the non-linear and parametric terms examined. The stability of the steady state responses is considered and it is shown that instability is associated with a negative slope of the amplitude frequency characteristic.

Nonlinear optical schemes for generation of terawatt femtosecond pulses in the range of 2-10 μm using multiterawatt laser radiation of the two-channel system created in the ILP SB RAS are presented and discussed. It is shown that the use of large aperture LBO crystals and AgGaGeS4 for difference frequency generation and parametric amplification enables to generate a wideband radiation in the range of 2-10 μm.

The generation of short X-ray laser pulses attracts a great deal of attention. One of mechanisms to achieve this goal is the non-linear Compton scattering at very high laser powers. The majority of previous works on the non-linear Compton scattering have been devoted to the case when the incident laser field is treated as a monochromatic plane wave. There is, however, recent interest in analyzing the effect of a pulsed laser field on the non-linear Compton scattering [1-4]. We study the process for different durations of the incident laser pulse and compare it with the results for both a plane wave laser field and a laser pulse train. [4pt] [1] M. Boca and V. Florescu, Phys. Rev. A 80, 053403 (2009).[0pt] [2] M. Boca and V. Florescu, Eur. Phys. J. D 61, 446 (2011).[0pt] [3] D. Seipt and B. Kämpfer, Phys. Rev. A 83, 022101 (2011).[0pt] [4] F. Mackenroth and A. Di Piazza, Phys. Rev. A 83, 032106 (2011).

The geometrically non-linear steady state vibration of spinning structures is studied. Full flap-lag-torsional gyroscopic coupling effects are considered. The non-linearity arises mainly from the non-linear axial strain-displacement relation. The equations of motion are derived from Lagrangian equations. Spatial discretization is achieved by the finite element method and steady state nodal displacements are expanded into Fourier series. The harmonic balance method gives a set of non-linear algebraic equations with the Fourier coefficients of the nodal displacements as unknowns. The non-linear algebraic equations are solved by a Newtonian algorithm iteratively. The importance of the conditions of completeness and balanceability in choosing the number of harmonic terms to be used is discussed. General frame structures with arbitrary orientation in a rotating frame can be investigated by the present method. Rotating blades and shafts are treated as special cases. Examples of a rotating ring with different orientations are given. The non-linear amplitude-frequency relation can be constructed parametrically.

Energy dissipation is studied for a hard magnetic tip that scans a soft magnetic substrate. The dynamics of the atomic moments are simulated by solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation numerically. The local energy currents are analysed for the case of a Heisenberg spin chain taken as substrate. This leads to an explanation for the velocity dependence of the friction force: The non-linear contribution for high velocities can be attributed to a spin wave front pushed by the tip along the substrate.

Non-linear processes can explain why Saturn's rings are so active and dynamic. Ring systems differ from simple linear systems in two significant ways: 1. They are systems of granular material: where particle-to-particle collisions dominate; thus a kinetic, not a fluid description needed. We find that stresses are strikingly inhomogeneous and fluctuations are large compared to equilibrium. 2. They are strongly forced by resonances: which drive a non-linear response, pushing the system across thresholds that lead to persistent states. Some of this non-linearity is captured in a simple Predator-Prey Model: Periodic forcing from the moon causes streamline crowding; This damps the relative velocity, and allows aggregates to grow. About a quarter phase later, the aggregates stir the system to higher relative velocity and the limit cycle repeats each orbit, with relative velocity ranging from nearly zero to a multiple of the orbit average: 2-10x is possible. Results of driven N-body systems by Stuart Robbins: Even unforced rings show large variations; Forcing triggers aggregation; Some limit cycles and phase lags seen, but not always as predicted by predator-prey model. Summary of Halo Results: A predatorprey model for ring dynamics produces transient structures like 'straw' that can explain the halo structure and spectroscopy: Cyclic velocity changes cause perturbed regions to reach higher collision speeds at some orbital phases, which preferentially removes small regolith particles; Surrounding particles diffuse back too slowly to erase the effect: this gives the halo morphology; This requires energetic collisions (v ≈ 10m/sec, with throw distances about 200km, implying objects of scale R ≈ 20km); We propose 'straw'. Transform to Duffing Eqn : With the coordinate transformation, z = M2/3, the Predator-Prey equations can be combined to form a single second-order differential equation with harmonic resonance forcing. Ring dynamics and history implications: Moon

Non-linear processes can explain why Saturn's rings are so active and dynamic. Ring systems differ from simple linear systems in two significant ways: 1. They are systems of granular material: where particle-to-particle collisions dominate; thus a kinetic, not a fluid description needed. We find that stresses are strikingly inhomogeneous and fluctuations are large compared to equilibrium. 2. They are strongly forced by resonances: which drive a non-linear response, pushing the system across thresholds that lead to persistent states. Some of this non-linearity is captured in a simple Predator-Prey Model: Periodic forcing from the moon causes streamline crowding; This damps the relative velocity, and allows aggregates to grow. About a quarter phase later, the aggregates stir the system to higher relative velocity and the limit cycle repeats each orbit, with relative velocity ranging from nearly zero to a multiple of the orbit average: 2-10x is possible Results of driven N-body systems by Stuart Robbins: Even unforced rings show large variations; Forcing triggers aggregation; Some limit cycles and phase lags seen, but not always as predicted by predator-prey model. Summary of Halo Results: A predator-prey model for ring dynamics produces transient structures like 'straw' that can explain the halo structure and spectroscopy: Cyclic velocity changes cause perturbed regions to reach higher collision speeds at some orbital phases, which preferentially removes small regolith particles; Surrounding particles diffuse back too slowly to erase the effect: this gives the halo morphology; This requires energetic collisions (v ≈ 10m/sec, with throw distances about 200km, implying objects of scale R ≈ 20km); We propose 'straw'. Transform to Duffing Eqn : With the coordinate transformation, z = M2/3, the Predator-Prey equations can be combined to form a single second-order differential equation with harmonic resonance forcing. Ring dynamics and history implications: Moon

While marginal models, random-effects models, and conditional models are routinely considered to be the three main modeling families for continuous and discrete repeated measures with linear and generalized linear mean structures, respectively, it is less common to consider non-linear models, let alone frame them within the above taxonomy. In the latter situation, indeed, when considered at all, the focus is often exclusively on random-effects models. In this paper, we consider all three families, exemplify their great flexibility and relative ease of use, and apply them to a simple but illustrative set of data on tree circumference growth of orange trees. PMID:20160890

In this paper, we investigate tree-level scattering amplitude relations in U( N) non-linear sigma model. We use Cayley parametrization. As was shown in the recent works [23,24], both on-shell amplitudes and off-shell currents with odd points have to vanish under Cayley parametrization. We prove the off-shell U(1) identity and fundamental BCJ relation for even-point currents. By taking the on-shell limits of the off-shell relations, we show that the color-ordered tree amplitudes with even points satisfy U(1)-decoupling identity and fundamental BCJ relation, which have the same formations within Yang-Mills theory. We further state that all the on-shell general KK, BCJ relations as well as the minimal-basis expansion are also satisfied by color-ordered tree amplitudes. As a consequence of the relations among color-ordered amplitudes, the total 2 m-point tree amplitudes satisfy DDM form of color decomposition as well as KLT relation.

We report the development of a fully fiber-integrated pulsed master oscillator power fibre amplifier (MOPFA) source at 780 nm, producing 3.5 W of average power with 410 ps pulses at a repetition rate of 50 MHz. The source consists of an intensity modulated 1560 nm laser diode amplified in an erbium fiber amplifier chain, followed by a fiber coupled periodically poled lithium niobate crystal module for frequency doubling. The source is then used for generating visible light through four-wave mixing in a length of highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber: 105 mW at 668 nm and 95 mW at 662 nm are obtained, with pump to anti-Stokes conversion slope efficiencies exceeding 6% in both cases. PMID:25606903

Characteristics of parametricgeneration of an electromagnetic field in a cavity with oscillating mirrors have been calculated as functions of the oscillation frequency detuning from the resonant frequency for different types of frequency dependence of the cavity mirror reflectance. The influence of the initial field distribution in the cavity on the parametricgeneration efficiency is demonstrated.

This paper presents a methodology for design optimization of thermoelectric-based waste heat recovery systems called thermoelectric generators (TEGs). The aim is to maximize the power output from thermoelectrics which are used as add-on modules to an existing gas-phase heat exchanger, without negative impacts, e.g., maintaining a minimum heat dissipation rate from the hot side. A numerical model is proposed for TEG coupled heat transfer and electrical power output. This finite-volume-based model simulates different types of heat exchangers, i.e., counter-flow and cross-flow, for TEGs. Multiple-filled skutterudites and bismuth-telluride-based thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are applied, respectively, in higher and lower temperature regions. The response surface methodology is implemented to determine the optimized TEG size along and across the flow direction and the height of thermoelectric couple legs, and to analyze their covariance and relative sensitivity. A genetic algorithm is employed to verify the globality of the optimum. The presented method will be generally useful for optimizing heat-exchanger-based TEG performance.

Rapid advances in high-field physics achieved in recent years, most notably generation of isolated soft X-ray attosecond pulses, owe their success to the development of driver lasers with specific pulse properties. The latter include ultrahigh peak intensity, quasi-monocycle duration, and reliable control over the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) [1],[2]. Although the driver lasers currently employed in this research field operate nearly exclusively in the wavelength region of the Ti:sapphire gain (i.e. around 0.8 µm), a switching over to a longer, infrared (IR) wavelength would offer significant advantages. Because of the λ 2 scaling of the ponderomotive energy, the intensity of IR pulses needed to attain emission at a given X-ray photon energy could be substantially lowered in comparison with the 0.8-µm case [3]-[5]. This is expected to be extraordinarily helpful for up-scaling the X-ray frequency, decreasing the duration of X-ray attosecond pulses by at least a factor of λ 3/2, and suppressing undesired target preionization before the interaction with the strongest half-cycle of the laser pulse. From the standpoint of laser technology, the longer duration of the IR optical period reduces the number of cycles for a given pulse envelope and, therefore, relaxes the demand to the amplifier gain bandwidth, which in the case of 5-fs 0.8-µm pulses typically reaches the extreme > 100 THz.

Non-linear processes can explain why Saturn's rings are so active and dynamic. Some of this non-linearity is captured in a simple Predator-Prey Model: Periodic forcing from the moon causes streamline crowding; This damps the relative velocity, and allows aggregates to grow. About a quarter phase later, the aggregates stir the system to higher relative velocity and the limit cycle repeats each orbit, with relative velocity ranging from nearly zero to a multiple of the orbit average: 2-10x is possible. Summary of Halo Results: A predator-prey model for ring dynamics produces transient structures like 'straw' that can explain the halo structure and spectroscopy: Cyclic velocity changes cause perturbed regions to reach higher collision speeds at some orbital phases, which preferentially removes small regolith particles; Surrounding particles diffuse back too slowly to erase the effect: this gives the halo morphology; This requires energetic collisions (v ≈ 10m/sec, with throw distances about 200km, implying objects of scale R ≈ 20km); We propose 'straw', as observed ny Cassini cameras. Transform to Duffing Eqn : With the coordinate transformation, z = M2/3, the Predator-Prey equations can be combined to form a single second-order differential equation with harmonic resonance forcing. Ring dynamics and history implications: Moon-triggered clumping at perturbed regions in Saturn's rings creates both high velocity dispersion and large aggregates at these distances, explaining both small and large particles observed there. This confirms the triple architecture of ring particles: a broad size distribution of particles; these aggregate into temporary rubble piles; coated by a regolith of dust. We calculate the stationary size distribution using a cell-to-cell mapping procedure that converts the phase-plane trajectories to a Markov chain. Approximating the Markov chain as an asymmetric random walk with reflecting boundaries allows us to determine the power law index from

We demonstrate that the nonlinear optomechanical interaction leads to parametric down-conversion, capable of generating polariton pairs formed by photons and phonons. The nonlinearity is resonantly enhanced through frequency matching, and such parametric down-conversion does not require the stringent condition that the single-photon optomechanical coupling strength g be on the order of the mechanical resonance frequency ω(m). We provide analytical results for the frequency matching condition and derive the nonlinear coefficient. Numerical simulations on polariton pair generation are presented, showing that photonlike polaritons, phononlike polaritons, and mixed photon-phonon polaritons can be selectively generated. Such nonlinear interaction offers a promising way for harnessing the optomechanical nonlinearity to manipulate photons and phonons. PMID:24010437

We demonstrate a novel all-optical quantum random number generator (RNG) based on above-threshold binary phase state selection in a degenerate optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Photodetection is not a part of the random process, and no post processing is required for the generated bit sequence. We show that the outcome is statistically random with 99% confidence, and verify that the randomness is due to the phase of initiating photons generated through spontaneous parametric down conversion of the pump, with negligible contribution of classical noise sources. With the use of micro- and nanoscale OPO resonators, this technique offers a promise for simple, robust, and high-speed on-chip all-optical quantum RNGs. PMID:23038574

Parametricgeneration in an endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fiber can be a simple and efficient way to generate tunable visible and mid-infrared radiation. In this manuscript we report on a visible light source that is tunable from 628nm to 661nm with up to 25% conversion efficiency. This was obtained by tuning the parametric pump from 1030nm to 1055nm in a 1.6m long LMA-10 PM photonic crystal fiber. At the same time, the source generates mid-infrared radiation that can be tuned from ~2.65μm to ~2.9μm. A further increase of the tunable range of both the visible and midinfrared is possible simply by extending the pump tuning range.

The genesis of floodings is very complex depending on hydrologic, meteorological and evapo-transpirative factors that are linked among themselves in a nonlinear way with numerous feedback processes. The Cantor dust and the rank-ordering statistics supply a proper framework for identifying a kind of a nonlinear order in the time succession of the floodings and so provide a basis for their prediction. When a catalogue is analysed, it is necessary to test its completeness with respect to the size of the recorded events and results obtained from analysis of catalogues that do not take into account such a test are suspect and possibly wrong, or, at least, unreliable. Floodings have no instrumentally determined magnitude scale, like that conventionally used for earthquakes, and this is why they are generally described in qualitative terms. For this reason, a semi-quantitative index, called ASI (Alluvial Strength Index) has been here developed that combines attributes of alluvial triggering mechanisms and effects on the territorial and hydraulic system.The historical succession of alluvial events occurred at high valley of Po river (Northern Italy), mean valley of Calore river (Southern Italy) and at Sarno, near Naples, have been accurately reconstructed on the basis of old documents and classified according to their ASI. The catalogues have been verified to be complete only for events classified at least as moderate and this probably because many of the lowest energetic events, especially in the past, escaped the detection. The identification of scale-invariances in the time clustering of alluvial events, both on short and long time scales, even if indicative of the complexity of their genesis, might be very helpful for the assessment and reduction of the hazard of future disasters. For example, on the basis of the results of the rank-ordering statistics, the most probable occurrence of an alluvial event at Sarno, classified at least as strong, is predicted to occur

The paper presents an analysis of non-linear three-wave interaction for propagation along a cylindrical plasma column surrounded either by a metallic boundary, or by an infinite dielectric, and immersed in an infinite, static, axial magnetic field. An averaged Lagrangian method is used and the results are specialized to parametric amplification and mode conversion, assuming an undepleted pump wave. Computations are presented for a magneto-plasma column surrounded by free space, indicating that parametric growth rates of the order of a fraction of a decibel per centimeter should be obtainable for plausible laboratory plasma parameters. In addition, experiments on non-linear mode conversion in a cylindrical magnetoplasma column are described. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions and good qualitative agreement is demonstrated.

We propose a novel method for generating broadband spontaneous parametric fluorescence by using a set of bulk nonlinear crystals (NLCs). We also demonstrate this scheme experimentally. Our method employs a superposition of spontaneous parametric fluorescence spectra generated using multiple bulk NLCs. A typical bandwidth of 160 nm (73 THz) with a degenerate wavelength of 808 nm was achieved using two β-barium-borate (BBO) crystals, whereas a typical bandwidth of 75 nm (34 THz) was realized using a single BBO crystal. We also observed coincidence counts of generated photon pairs in a non-collinear configuration. The bandwidth could be further broadened by increasing the number of NLCs. Our demonstration suggests that a set of four BBO crystals could realize a bandwidth of approximately 215 nm (100 THz). We also discuss the stability of Hong-Ou-Mandel two-photon interference between the parametric fluorescence generated by this scheme. Our simple scheme is easy to implement with conventional NLCs and does not require special devices. PMID:22714463

Non-linear vibratory systems are often characterized by external or excitation parameters which vary with time (i.e., are "non-stationary"). A general methodology is presented to predict analytically the response of some weakly non-linear dissipative systems as an excitation parameter varies slowly across points of instability corresponding to co-dimensional-1 bifurcations. It is shown that the motion near the bifurcation/critical point can be approximated by motion along a center manifold, and can be represented by a 1-dimensional dynamical system with a slowly varying parameter. Techniques expounded by Haberman [1] for analyzing such 1-dimensional equations using matched asymptotic expansions and non-linear boundary layers are summarized. The results are then used to obtain responses of some classical non-linear vibratory systems in the presence of non-stationary excitation. The problem of transition across saddle-node bifurcations or jumps during passage through primary resonance in the forced Duffing's oscillator is studied. Then, the transition across the points of dynamic instability (pitchfork bifurcations) in the parametrically excited non-linear Mathieu equation is analyzed. Lastly, the transition across a Hopf bifurcation in the Parkinson-Smith model for galloping of bluff bodies is discussed. The methodology described here is found to be effective in approximating the behavior of the systems in the vicinity of bifurcation points. The solutions and their qualitative features predicted by the analysis are in good agreement with those obtained from direct numerical integration of the equations.

Background Non-linear dielectric spectroscopy (NLDS) of microorganism was characterized by the generation of harmonics in the polarization current when a microorganism suspension was exposed to a sinusoidal electric field. The biological nonlinear response initially described was not well verified by other authors and the results were susceptible to ambiguous interpretation. In this paper NLDS was performed to yeast suspension in tripolar and tetrapolar configuration with a recently developed analyzer. Methods Tripolar analysis was carried out by applying sinusoidal voltages up to 1 V at the electrode interface. Tetrapolar analysis was carried on with sinusoidal field strengths from 0.1 V cm-1 to 70 V cm-1. Both analyses were performed within a frequency range from 1 Hz through 100 Hz. The harmonic amplitudes were Fourier-analyzed and expressed in dB. The third harmonic, as reported previously, was investigated. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was used to test the effect of inhibitor an activator of the plasma membrane enzyme in the measured response. Results No significant non-linearities were observed in tetrapolar analysis, and no observable changes occurred when inhibitor and activator were added to the suspension. Statistical analysis confirmed these results. When a pure sinus voltage was applied to an electrode-yeast suspension interface, variations higher than 25 dB for the 3rd harmonic were observed. Variation higher than 20 dB in the 3rd harmonics has also been found when adding an inhibitor or activator of the membrane-bounded enzymes. These variations did not occur when the suspension was boiled. Discussion The lack of result in tetrapolar cells suggest that there is no, if any, harmonic generation in microbiological bulk suspension. The non-linear response observed was originated in the electrode-electrolyte interface. The frequency and voltage windows observed in previous tetrapolar analysis were repeated in the tripolar measurements, but maximum were not

This paper presents some investigations on the optical and morphological properties of the polymer (matrix):monomer (inclusion) composite materials obtained from blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and amidic monomers. For the preparation of the composite films, we have selected monomers characterised by a maleamic acid structure and synthesised them starting from maleic anhydride and aniline derivatives with -COOH, -NO2, -N(C2H5)2 functional groups attached to the benzene ring. The composite films have been deposited by spin coating using a mixture of two solutions, one containing the matrix and the other the inclusion, both components of the composite system being dissolved in the same solvent. The optical transmission and photoluminescence properties of the composite films have been investigated in correlation with the morphology of the films. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy have revealed a non-uniform morphology characterised by the development of two distinct phases. We have also investigated the generation of some optical non-linear (ONL) phenomena in these composite systems. The composite films containing as inclusions monomers characterised by the presence of one -COOH or two -NO2 substituent groups to the aromatic nucleus have shown the most intense second-harmonic generation (SHG). The second-order optical non-linear coefficients have been evaluated for these films, and the effect of the laser power on the ONL behaviour of these materials has also been emphasised.

This paper presents some investigations on the optical and morphological properties of the polymer (matrix):monomer (inclusion) composite materials obtained from blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and amidic monomers. For the preparation of the composite films, we have selected monomers characterised by a maleamic acid structure and synthesised them starting from maleic anhydride and aniline derivatives with -COOH, -NO2, -N(C2H5)2 functional groups attached to the benzene ring. The composite films have been deposited by spin coating using a mixture of two solutions, one containing the matrix and the other the inclusion, both components of the composite system being dissolved in the same solvent. The optical transmission and photoluminescence properties of the composite films have been investigated in correlation with the morphology of the films. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy have revealed a non-uniform morphology characterised by the development of two distinct phases. We have also investigated the generation of some optical non-linear (ONL) phenomena in these composite systems. The composite films containing as inclusions monomers characterised by the presence of one -COOH or two -NO2 substituent groups to the aromatic nucleus have shown the most intense second-harmonic generation (SHG). The second-order optical non-linear coefficients have been evaluated for these films, and the effect of the laser power on the ONL behaviour of these materials has also been emphasised. PMID:26873262

Power quality (PQ) disturbances are becoming an important issue in smart grids (SGs) due to the significant economic consequences that they can generate on sensible loads. However, SGs include several distributed energy resources (DERs) that can be interconnected to the grid with static converters, which lead to a reduction of the PQ levels. Among DERs, wind turbines and photovoltaic systems are expected to be used extensively due to the forecasted reduction in investment costs and other economic incentives. These systems can introduce significant time-varying voltage and current waveform distortions that require advanced spectral analysis methods to be used. This paper provides an application of advanced parametric methods for assessing waveform distortions in SGs with dispersed generation. In particular, the Standard International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) method, some parametric methods (such as Prony and Estimation of Signal Parameters by Rotational Invariance Technique (ESPRIT)), and some hybrid methods are critically compared on the basis of their accuracy and the computational effort required.

Spontaneous creation of solitons in quadratic media by the downconversion (i.e., parametric instability against the generation of fundamental-frequency excitations) from the truncated Airy-wave (AW) mode in the second-harmonic component is studied. Parameter regions are identified for the generation of one, two, and three solitons, with additional small-amplitude "jets." Shares of the total power carried by individual solitons are found. Also considered are soliton patterns generated by the downconversion from a pair of AWs bending in opposite directions. PMID:26512490

An input image is enhanced to include spatial frequency components having frequencies higher than those in an input image. To this end, an edge map is generated from the input image using a high band pass filtering technique. An enhancing map is subsequently generated from the edge map, with the enhanced map having spatial frequencies exceeding an initial maximum spatial frequency of the input image. The enhanced map is generated by applying a non-linear operator to the edge map in a manner which preserves the phase transitions of the edges of the input image. The enhanced map is added to the input image to achieve a resulting image having spatial frequencies greater than those in the input image. Simplicity of computations and ease of implementation allow for image sharpening after enlargement and for real-time applications such as videophones, advanced definition television, zooming, and restoration of old motion pictures.

Two nonlinear Kerr oscillators mutually coupled by parametric pumping are studied as a source of states entangled in photon numbers. Temporal evolution of entanglement quantified by negativity shows the effects of sudden death and birth of entanglement. Entanglement is preserved even in asymptotic states under certain conditions. The role of reservoirs at finite temperature in entanglement evolution is elucidated. Relation between generation of entangled states and violation of Cauchy-Schwartz inequality for oscillator intensities is found.

Since the inception of microfluidics, the electric force has been exploited as one of the leading mechanisms for driving and controlling the movement of the operating fluid and the charged suspensions. Electric force has an intrinsic advantage in miniaturized devices. Because the electrodes are placed over a small distance, from sub-millimeter to a few microns, a very high electric field is easy to obtain. The electric force can be highly localized as its strength rapidly decays away from the peak. This makes the electric force an ideal candidate for precise spatial control. The geometry and placement of the electrodes can be used to design electric fields of varying distributions, which can be readily realized by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication methods. In this paper, we examine several electrically driven liquid handling operations. The emphasis is given to non-linear electrohydrodynamic effects. We discuss the theoretical treatment and related numerical methods. Modeling and simulations are used to unveil the associated electrohydrodynamic phenomena. The modeling based investigation is interwoven with examples of microfluidic devices to illustrate the applications. PMID:21673912

Since the inception of microfluidics, the electric force has been exploited as one of the leading mechanisms for driving and controlling the movement of the operating fluid and the charged suspensions. Electric force has an intrinsic advantage in miniaturized devices. Because the electrodes are placed over a small distance, from sub-millimeter to a few microns, a very high electric field is easy to obtain. The electric force can be highly localized as its strength rapidly decays away from the peak. This makes the electric force an ideal candidate for precise spatial control. The geometry and placement of the electrodes can be used to design electric fields of varying distributions, which can be readily realized by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication methods. In this paper, we examine several electrically driven liquid handling operations. The emphasis is given to non-linear electrohydrodynamic effects. We discuss the theoretical treatment and related numerical methods. Modeling and simulations are used to unveil the associated electrohydrodynamic phenomena. The modeling based investigation is interwoven with examples of microfluidic devices to illustrate the applications. PMID:21673912

Optimum isolation damping for minimum acceleration of a base-isolated structure subjected to earthquake ground excitation is investigated. The stochastic model of the El-Centro1940 earthquake, which preserves the non-stationary evolution of amplitude and frequency content of ground motion, is used as an earthquake excitation. The base isolated structure consists of a linear flexible shear type multi-storey building supported on a base isolation system. The resilient-friction base isolator (R-FBI) is considered as an isolation system. The non-stationary stochastic response of the system is obtained by the time dependent equivalent linearization technique as the force-deformation of the R-FBI system is non-linear. The optimum damping of the R-FBI system is obtained under important parametric variations; i.e., the coefficient of friction of the R-FBI system, the period and damping of the superstructure; the effective period of base isolation. The criterion selected for optimality is the minimization of the top floor root mean square (r.m.s.) acceleration. It is shown that the above parameters have significant effects on optimum isolation damping.

Equations are derived for a parametric chaos generator containing three oscillatory circuits and a variable-capacitance diode (varactor) and are reduced to equations for slow amplitudes of parametrically interacting modes. With allowance for quadratic nonlinearity, the problem is reduced to a system of three first-order differential equations for Pikovsky-Rabinovich-Trakhtengerts real amplitudes with a Lorenz-type attractor. In a more accurate description of nonlinearity of the varactor, the equations for slow amplitudes are complex-valued, which leads to the loss of robustness of chaotic dynamics, which is typical of the Lorenz attractor. The results of numerical calculations (portraits of attractors and Lyapunov exponents) in models with different approximation levels are compared.

We consider a system consisting of N nondegenerate optical parametric amplifiers (NOPAs) operating below threshold and linked with each other in a cascading way, each taking the output subharmonic fields from the previous one as the input fields. The entanglement properties of the subharmonic fields from these cascading nondegenerate optical parametric amplifiers (CNOPAs) are investigated. We find that, if the input subharmonic fields of the first NOPA in the cascading line are in the vacuum state, the output fields from the later NOPAs exhibit excellent broadband entanglement, and the entanglement frequency band is broadened notably with increased number of cascading NOPAs. We also discuss the application of the entangled light generated from the CNOPAs to broadband teleportation, and find that the maximum width of the fidelity spectrum of teleportation of broadband coherent states can be greatly broadened.

Laser-driven high-gradient electron acceleration in dielectric photonic structures is an enabling technology for compact and robust sources of tunable monochromatic x-rays. Such advanced x-ray sources are sought in medical imaging, security, industrial, and scientific applications. The use of long-wavelength pulses can mitigate the problem of laser-induced breakdown in dielectric structures at high optical intensities, relax the structure fabrication requirements, and allow greater pulse energy to be injected into the structure. We report on the design and construction of a simple and robust, short-pulse parametric source operating at a center wavelength 5 μm, to be used as a pump for a dielectric photonic structure for laser-driven acceleration. The source is based on a two-stage parametric downconversion design, consisting of a β-BaB2O4-based 2.05 μm optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and a ZnGeP2-based 5 μm OPA. The 2.05 μm OPA is presently pumped by a standard Ti:sapphire chirped-pulse amplified laser, which will be replaced with direct laser pumping at wavelengths \\gt 2 μ m in the future. The design and performance of the constructed short-pulse mid-infrared source are described. The demonstrated architecture is also of interest for use in other applications, such as high harmonic generation and attosecond pulse production.

An ultrasonic radiator is developed to generate a difference frequency sound from two frequencies of ultrasound in air with a parametric array. A design method is proposed for an ultrasonic radiator capable of generating highly directive, high-amplitude ultrasonic sound beams at two different frequencies in air based on a modification of the stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator. The stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator was introduced by Gallego-Juarez et al. [Ultrasonics 16, 267-271 (1978)] in their previous study and can effectively generate highly directive, large-amplitude ultrasonic sounds in air, but only at a single frequency. Because parametric array sources must be able to generate sounds at more than one frequency, a design modification is crucial to the application of a stepped-plate ultrasonic radiator as a parametric array source in air. The aforementioned method was employed to design a parametric radiator for use in air. A prototype of this design was constructed and tested to determine whether it could successfully generate a difference frequency sound with a parametric array. The results confirmed that the proposed single small-area transducer was suitable as a parametric radiator in air. PMID:20550249

A comprehensive numerical model has been proposed to model thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for automotive waste heat recovery. Details of the model and results from the analysis of General Motors' prototype TEG were described in part I of the study. In part II of this study, parametric evaluations are considered to assess the influence of heat exchanger, geometry, and thermoelectric module configurations to achieve optimization of the baseline model. The computational tool is also adapted to model other topologies such as transverse and circular configurations (hexagonal and cylindrical) maintaining the same volume as the baseline TEG. Performance analysis of these different topologies and parameters is presented and compared with the baseline design.

A tool with an Excel visual interface is developed to generate equivalent-area (A(sub e)) targets that satisfy the volume constraints for a low-boom supersonic configuration. The new parametric Ae target explorer allows users to interactively study the tradeoffs between the aircraft volume constraints and the low-boom characteristics (e.g., loudness) of the ground signature. Moreover, numerical optimization can be used to generate the optimal A(sub e) target for given A(sub e) volume constraints. A case study is used to demonstrate how a generated low-boom Ae target can be matched by a supersonic configuration that includes a fuselage, wing, nacelle, pylon, aft pod, horizontal tail, and vertical tail. The low-boom configuration is verified by sonic-boom analysis with an off-body pressure distribution at three body lengths below the configuration

A parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) generator system was constructed in 2001 in a dedicated beamline connected to the 125 MeV electron linac of the Laboratory for Electron Beam Research and Application at Nihon University. This generator system consists of two perfect-silicon-crystal plates mounted on precisely moving mechanical setup to achieve a wide tunability. The experimental operation of the PXR generator started early in 2004; X-rays were first observed through this device in April 2004. Application studies using the PXR beam from a 100 MeV electron beam have been conducted since July 2004. Preliminary results suggest the possibility of applying the PXR to advanced X-ray imaging and to the measurement of X-ray absorption fine structure.

A parametric wind-tunnel study was performed with jet vortex generators to determine their effectiveness in controlling flow separation associated with low-speed turbulence flow over a two-dimensional rearward-facing ramp. Results indicate that flow-separation control can be accomplished, with the level of control achieved being a function of jet speed, jet orientation (with respect to the free-stream direction), and orifice pattern (double row of jets vs. single row). Compared to slot blowing, jet vortex generators can provide an equivalent level of flow control over a larger spanwise region (for constant jet flow area and speed). Dye flow visualization tests in a water tunnel indicated that the most effective jet vortex generator configurations produced streamwise co-rotating vortices.

Analysis is carried-out of fracture in the End Notched Flex- ure (ENF) beam configuration, taking into account the material nonlin- earity. For this purpose, the J-integral approach is applied. A non-linear model, based on the Classical beam theory is used. The mechanical be- haviour of the ENF configuration is described by the Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain curve. It is assumed that the material possesses the same properties in tension and compression. The influence is evaluated of the material constants in the Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain equation on the fracture behaviour. The effect of the crack length on the J-integral value is investigated, too. The analytical approach, developed in the present paper, is very useful for parametric analyses, since the simple formulae obtained capture the essentials of the non-linear fracture in the ENF con- figuration.

The non-linear dynamic analysis of large structures is always very time, effort and CPU consuming. Whenever possible the reduction of the size of the mathematical model involved is of main importance to speed up the computational procedures. Such reduction can be performed for the part of the structure which perform linearly. Most of the time, the classical Guyan reduction process is used. For non-linear dynamic process where the non-linearity is present at interfaces between different structures, Craig-Bampton models can provide a very rich information, and allow easy selection of the relevant modes with respect to the phenomenon driving the non-linearity. The paper presents the employment of Craig-Bampton models combined with Newmark direct integration for solving non-linear friction problems appearing at the interface between the Hubble Space Telescope and its solar arrays during in-orbit maneuvers. Theory, implementation in the FEM code ASKA, and practical results are shown.

We investigate the spatial quantum properties of the light emitted by a perfectly spatially degenerate optical parametric oscillator (self-imaging optical parametric oscillator). We show that this device produces local squeezing for areas bigger than a coherence area that depends on the crystal length and pump width. Furthermore, it generates local EPR beams in the far field. We show, calculating the eigenmodes of the system, that it is highly multimode for realistic experimental parameters.

We present simulations and experimental results for quantum-noise-initiated emission from an optical parametricgenerator (OPG) fabricated from periodically poled lithium niobate. The model we employ, which includes transverse coupling effects to enable off-axis phase matching, has been successfully used for describing broadband emission spectra in OPG's and optical parametric amplifiers. The emission spectra and the quantum statistics deduced from macroscopic fluctuations are compared between simulations and experiment.

The overall objective of the mechanical development and verification process is to ensure that the spacecraft structure is able to sustain the mechanical environments encountered during launch. In general the spacecraft structures are a-priori assumed to behave linear, i.e. the responses to a static load or dynamic excitation, respectively, will increase or decrease proportionally to the amplitude of the load or excitation induced. However, past experiences have shown that various non-linearities might exist in spacecraft structures and the consequences of their dynamic effects can significantly affect the development and verification process. Current processes are mainly adapted to linear spacecraft structure behaviour. No clear rules exist for dealing with major structure non-linearities. They are handled outside the process by individual analysis and margin policy, and analyses after tests to justify the CLA coverage. Non-linearities can primarily affect the current spacecraft development and verification process on two aspects. Prediction of flights loads by launcher/satellite coupled loads analyses (CLA): only linear satellite models are delivered for performing CLA and no well-established rules exist how to properly linearize a model when non- linearities are present. The potential impact of the linearization on the results of the CLA has not yet been properly analyzed. There are thus difficulties to assess that CLA results will cover actual flight levels. Management of satellite verification tests: the CLA results generated with a linear satellite FEM are assumed flight representative. If the internal non- linearities are present in the tested satellite then there might be difficulties to determine which input level must be passed to cover satellite internal loads. The non-linear behaviour can also disturb the shaker control, putting the satellite at risk by potentially imposing too high levels. This paper presents the results of a test campaign performed in

We report on the design and demonstration of electro-optically tunable, multi-wavelength optical parametricgenerators (OPGs) based on aperiodically poled lithium niobate (APPLN) crystals. Two methods have been proposed to significantly enhance the electro-optic (EO) tunability of an APPLN OPG constructed by the aperiodic optical superlattice (AOS) technique. This is done by engineering the APPLN domain structure either in the crystal fabrication or in the crystal design process to increase the length or block-number difference of the two opposite-polarity domains used in the structure. Several orders of magnitude enhancement on the EO tuning rate of the APPLN OPGs constructed by the proposed techniques for simultaneous multiple signal wavelength generation over a conventional one has been demonstrated in a near infrared band (1500-1600 nm). PMID:23263140

We present in this paper a general model for determining the quantum properties of the light generated by a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) operating below threshold. This model considers time and frequency on an equal footing, which allows us to find new quantum properties, related for example to the carrier envelope offset (CEO) phase, and to consider situations that are close to real experiments. We show that, in addition to multimode squeezing in the so-called ‘supermodes’, the system exhibits quadrature entanglement between frequency combs of opposite CEO phases. We have also determined the quantum properties of the individual pulses and their quantum correlations with the neighboring pulses. Finally, we determine the quantum Cramer-Rao limit for an ultra-short time delay measurement using a given number of pulses generated by the SPOPO.

We have developed a simple wavelength-tunable optical parametricgenerator (OPG), emitting broadband ultrashort pulses with peak wavelengths at 1530-1790 nm, for nonlinear label-free microscopy. The OPG consists of a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal, pumped at 1064 nm by a ultrafast Yb:fiber laser with high pulse energy. We demonstrate that this OPG can be used for label-free imaging, by third-harmonic generation, of nuclei of brain cells and blood vessels in a >150 μm thick brain tissue section, with very little decay of intensity with imaging depth and no visible damage to the tissue at an incident average power of 15 mW. PMID:26258338

We demonstrate high-energy infrared femtosecond pulse generation by a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme [Opt. Express19, 7190 (2011)]. By employing a 100 mJ pump laser, a signal pulse energy exceeding 20 mJ at a wavelength of 1.4 μm was achieved before dispersion compensation. A total output energy of 33 mJ was recorded. Under a further energy scaling condition, the signal pulse was compressed to an almost transform-limited duration of 27 fs using a fused silica prism compressor. Since the DC-OPA scheme is efficient and energy scalable, design parameters for obtaining 100 mJ level infrared pulses are presented, which are suitable as driver lasers for the energy scaling of high-order harmonic generation with sub-keV photon energy. PMID:26512524

We demonstrate that a parametrically pumped picosecond laser has enough coherence and energy to write transient phase gratings at nonresonant interaction, thus allowing a study of time-resolved carrier transport in CdTe crystals to be made. Autocorrelation trace of light diffraction efficiency on transient grating allowed us to measure a coherence length of the parametricgenerator. Carrier diffusion, recombination, and drift in light-created internal space-charge (SC) electric fields have been studied in vanadium or germanium doped semi-insulating CdTe crystals by nonresonant four-wave mixing technique at 940 nm wavelength. It was found that modification of the deep level charge state in CdTe:V by As codoping has changed the sign of majority carriers, responsible for the creation of SC field. Dynamics of free carrier grating decay in CdTe:Ge revealed an electron-governed very fast initial grating decay which develops with time into the double-exponential hole-governed grating decay. Time-resolved transient grating technique described in this article provides a powerful tool for investigation of the role of deep traps in photorefractive semiconductors and optimization of their photoelectric properties in a required temporal and spectral range.

The Fairchild study showed that generator designs based on a single 1-watt RHU had very poor thermal efficiencies. At their optimum operating point, more than half of the generated heat was lost through the thermal insulation. This resulted in system efficiency of only 2.2%, compared to 7.2% for current Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). Moreover, there were serious doubts about the fabricability of the required multicouples, particularly of the series/parallel connections between the large number (900) of thermoelectric legs of very small cross-section (0.21 mm square). All in all, the preceding paper showed that neither JPL`s Power Stick design nor the Fairchild-generated derivatives based on the 1-watt heat source looked promising. The present paper describes a similar parametric study of a mini-generator based on a 6-watt heat source, and compares its performance and fabricability to that of the optimum Power Stick derivative and of the current RTG design for the same mission. {copyright} 1995 {ital American} {ital Institute} {ital of} {ital Physics}

The Fairchild study showed that generator designs based on a single 1-watt RHU had very poor thermal efficiencies. At their optimum operating point, more than half of the generated heat was lost through the thermal insulation. This resulted in system efficiency of only 2.2%, compared to 7.2% for current Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). Moreover, there were serious doubts about the fabricability of the required multicouples, particularly of the series/parallel connections between the large number (900) of thermoelectric legs of very small cross-section (0.21 mm square). All in all, the preceding paper showed that neither JPL's Power Stick design nor the Fairchild-generated derivatives based on the 1-watt heat source looked promising. The present paper describes a similar parametric study of a mini-generator based on a 6-watt heat source, and compares its performance and fabricability to that of the optimum Power Stick derivative and of the current RTG design for the same mission.

A very important, but often overlooked step in grid generation is acquiring a suitable geometry definition of the vehicle to be analyzed. In the past, geometry was usually obtained by generating a number of cross-sections of each component. A number of recent efforts have focussed on non-uniform rational B-spline surfaces (NURBS) to provide as single type of analytic surface to deal with inside the grid generator. This approach has required the development of tools to read other types of surfaces and convert them, either exactly or by approximation, into a NURBS surface. This paper describes a more generic parametric evaluator approach, which does not rely on a particular surface type internal to the grid generation system and is less restrictive in the number of surface types that can be represented exactly. This approach has been implemented in the McDonnell Douglas grid generation system, MACGS, and offers direct access to all types of surfaces from a Unigraphics part file.

The generation of technological knowledge is paramount to our present development; the production of technological knowledge is governed by the same Cobb Douglas type model, with the means of research and the intelligence level replacing capital, respectively labor. We are exploring the basic behavior of present days' economies that are producing technological knowledge, along with the `usual' industrial production and determine a basic behavior that turns out to be a `Henon attractor'. Measures are introduced for the gain of technological knowledge and for the information of technological sequences that are based respectively on the underlying multi-valued modal logic of the technological research and on nonlinear thermodynamic considerations.

A simple non-linear circuit model for battery behavior is given. It is based on time-dependent features of the well-known PIN change storage diode, whose behavior is described by equations similar to those associated with electrochemical cells. The circuit simulation computer program ADVICE was used to predict non-linear response from a topological description of the battery analog built from advice components. By a reasonable choice of one set of parameters, the circuit accurately simulates a wide spectrum of measured non-linear battery responses to within a few millivolts.

An analytical model of a differential wavefront sensing (DWS) technique based on Gaussian Beam propagation has been derived. Compared with the result of the interference signals detected by quadrant photodiode, which is calculated by using the numerical method, the analytical model has been verified. Both the analytical model and numerical simulation show milli-radians level non-linearity effect of DWS detection. In addition, the beam clipping has strong influence on the non-linearity of DWS. The larger the beam clipping is, the smaller the non-linearity is. However, the beam walking effect hardly has influence on DWS. Thus, it can be ignored in laser interferometer. PMID:26974079

The geometrically non-linear vibrations of linear elastic composite laminated shallow shells under the simultaneous action of thermal fields and mechanical excitations are analysed. For this purpose, a model based on a very efficient p-version first-order shear deformation finite element, with hierarchical basis functions, is employed. The equations of motion are solved in the time domain by a Newmark implicit time integration method. The model and code developed are partially validated by comparison with published data. Parametric studies are carried out in order to study the influence of temperature change, initial curvature, panel thickness and fibre orientation on the shells' dynamics.

A unique control approach is developed for prescribed large motion control using magnetic bearings in a proposed active stall control test rig. A finite element based, flexible shaft is modeled in a closed loop system with PD controllers that generate the control signals to support and to shake the rotor shaft. A linearized force model of the stall rig with 16 magnetic poles (4 opposing C-cores) yields stability and frequency responses. The non-linear model retains the non-linearities in Ampere's law, Faraday's law and the Maxwell stress tensor. A fuzzy logic control system is then designed to show the advantages over the conventional controllers with the fully non-linear model.

Introduced by Bishop et al. in 1996, Generative Topographic Mapping (GTM) is a powerful nonlinear latent variable modeling approach for visualizing high-dimensional data. It has shown useful when typical linear methods fail. However, GTM still suffers from drawbacks. Its complex parameterization of data make GTM hard to fit and sensitive to slight changes in the model. For this reason, we extend GTM to a visual analytics framework so that users may guide the parameterization and assess the data from multiple GTM perspectives. Specifically, we develop the theory and methods for Visual to Parametric Interaction (V2PI) with data using GTM visualizations. The result is a dynamic version of GTM that fosters data exploration. We refer to the new version as V2PI-GTM. In this paper, we develop V2PI-GTM in stages and demonstrate its benefits within the context of a text mining case study. PMID:26905728

We demonstrate strong-field-driven impulsive XUV-x-ray parametric amplification (IXPA) processes in high-order harmonic generation at the single-atom level by using ab initio calculations. We consider the example of Li+ ions exposed simultaneously to an intense IR pulse and a weak 200-as XUV-x-ray pulse with central photon energies varying from 90 to 400 eV. We determine optimal parameter ranges and the precise delays between the IR and the XUV-x-ray pulses for IXPA to occur. The present results might be a guide to achieve exponential growth of the XUV-x-ray signal in tabletop XUV-x-ray lasers.

This work is a theoretical study on third harmonic generation in the nonlinear propagation of an intense laser pulse through a periodic three-dimensional lattice of nanoparticles. Using a perturbative method, the nonlinear equations that describe the laser–nanoparticle interaction in the weakly relativistic regime are derived. Additionally, the nonlinear dispersion relation and the amplitude of the third harmonic are obtained. Finally, the effects of the nanoparticle radius and separation length, the distribution of the nanoparticle electron density, and the laser frequency upon the third harmonic efficiency are investigated. In addition to the expected resonance that occurs when the third harmonic resonates with the plasmon wave, another resonance appears when the nonlinear interaction of the fundamental mode with the third harmonic excites a longitudinal collective plasmon wave via the parametric Raman mechanism.

Introduced by Bishop et al. in 1996, Generative Topographic Mapping (GTM) is a powerful nonlinear latent variable modeling approach for visualizing high-dimensional data. It has shown useful when typical linear methods fail. However, GTM still suffers from drawbacks. Its complex parameterization of data make GTM hard to fit and sensitive to slight changes in the model. For this reason, we extend GTM to a visual analytics framework so that users may guide the parameterization and assess the data from multiple GTM perspectives. Specifically, we develop the theory and methods for Visual to Parametric Interaction (V2PI) with data using GTM visualizations. The result is a dynamic version of GTM that fosters data exploration. We refer to the new version as V2PI-GTM. In this paper, we develop V2PI-GTM in stages and demonstrate its benefits within the context of a text mining case study. PMID:26905728

Computational design and analysis of three-dimensional hypersonic inlets with shape transition has been a significant challenge due to the complex geometry and grid required for three-dimensional viscous flow calculations. Currently, the design process utilizes an inviscid design tool to produce initial inlet shapes by streamline tracing through an axisymmetric compression field. However, the shape is defined by a large number of points rather than a continuous surface and lacks important features such as blunt leading edges. Therefore, a design system has been developed to parametrically construct true CAD geometry and link the topology of a structured grid to the geometry. The Adaptive Modeling Language (AML) constitutes the underlying framework that is used to build the geometry and grid topology. Parameterization of the CAD geometry allows the inlet shapes produced by the inviscid design tool to be generated, but also allows a great deal of flexibility to modify the shape to account for three-dimensional viscous effects. By linking the grid topology to the parametric geometry, the GridPro grid generation software can be used efficiently to produce a smooth hexahedral multiblock grid. To demonstrate the new capability, a matrix of inlets were designed by varying four geometry parameters in the inviscid design tool. The goals of the initial design study were to explore inviscid design tool geometry variations with a three-dimensional analysis approach, demonstrate a solution rate which would enable the use of high-fidelity viscous three-dimensional CFD in future design efforts, process the results for important performance parameters, and perform a sample optimization.

We review our recent work describing, in terms of the Wasserstein geometry over the space of probability measures, the embedding of the Ricci flow in the renormalization group flow for dilatonic non-linear sigma models.

This paper addresses the problem of stabilization of a class of internally passive non-linear time-invariant dynamic systems. A class of non-linear marginally strictly passive (MSP) systems is defined, which is less restrictive than input-strictly passive systems. It is shown that the interconnection of a non-linear passive system and a non-linear MSP system is globally asymptotically stable. The result generalizes and weakens the conditions of the passivity theorem, which requires one of the systems to be input-strictly passive. In the case of linear time-invariant systems, it is shown that the MSP property is equivalent to the marginally strictly positive real (MSPR) property, which is much simpler to check.

We formulate the stochastic differential equations for non-linear hydrodynamic fluctuations. The equations incorporate the random forces through a random stres tensor and random heat flux as in the Landau and Lifshitz theory. However, the equations are non-linear and the random forces are non-Gaussian. We provide explicit expressions for these random quantities in terms of the well-defined increments of the Wienner process.

We investigate the behaviour of two non-linearly coupled flexural modes of a doubly clamped suspended beam (nanomechanical resonator). One of the modes is externally driven. We demonstrate that classically, the behavior of the non-driven mode is reminiscent of that of a parametrically driven linear oscillator: it exhibits a threshold behavior, with the amplitude of this mode below the threshold being exactly zero. Quantum-mechanically, we were able to access the dynamics of this mode below the classical parametric threshold. We show that whereas the mean displacement of this mode is still zero, the mean squared displacement is finite and at the threshold corresponds to the occupation number of 1/2. This finite displacement of the non-driven mode can serve as an experimentally verifiable quantum signature of quantum motion.

In this paper a multiharmonic balancing technique is used to develop certain algorithms to determine periodic orbits of non-liner dynamical systems with external, parametric and self excitations. Essentially, in this method the non-linear differential equations are transformed into a set of non-linear algebraic equations in terms of the Fourier coefficients of the periodic solutions which are solved by using the Newton-Raphson technique. The method is developed such that both fast Fourier transform and discrete Fourier transform algorithms can be used. It is capable of treating all types of non-linearities and higher dimensional systems. The stability of periodic orbits is investigated by obtaining the monodromy matrix. A path following algorithm based on the predictor-corrector method is also presented to enable the bifurcation analysis. The prediction is done with a cubic extrapolation technique with an arc length incrementation while the correction is done with the use of the least square minimisation technique. The under determined system of equations is solved by singular value decomposition. The suitability of the method is demonstrated by obtaining the bifurcational behaviour of rolling contact vibrations modelled by Hertz contact law.

In this paper, an adaptive iterative learning control scheme is proposed for a class of non-linearly parameterised systems with unknown time-varying parameters and input saturations. By incorporating a saturation function, a new iterative learning control mechanism is presented which includes a feedback term and a parameter updating term. Through the use of parameter separation technique, the non-linear parameters are separated from the non-linear function and then a saturated difference updating law is designed in iteration domain by combining the unknown parametric term of the local Lipschitz continuous function and the unknown time-varying gain into an unknown time-varying function. The analysis of convergence is based on a time-weighted Lyapunov-Krasovskii-like composite energy function which consists of time-weighted input, state and parameter estimation information. The proposed learning control mechanism warrants a L2[0, T] convergence of the tracking error sequence along the iteration axis. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the adaptive iterative learning control scheme.

A novel compact dual-crystal optical parametric amplification (DOPA) scheme, collinearly pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser (0.8 μm), is theoretically investigated for efficiently generating broadband IR pulses at non-degenerate wavelengths (1.2 μm~1.4 μm and 1.8 μm~2.1 μm). By inserting a pair of barium fluoride (BaF(2)) wedges between two thin β-barium borate (BBO) crystals, the group velocity mismatch (GVM) between the three interacting pulses can be compensated simultaneously. In this case, the obtained signal spectrum centered at 1.3 μm is nearly 20% broader and the conversion efficiency is increased, but also the pulse contrast and beam quality are improved due to the better temporal overlap. Furthermore, sub-two-cycle idler pulses with carrier-envelope phase (CEP) fluctuation of sub-100-mrad root mean square (RMS) can be generated. Because a tunable few-cycle IR pulse with millijoule energy is attainable in this scheme, it will contribute to ultrafast community and be particularly useful as a driving or controlling field for the generation of ultrafast coherent x-ray supercontinuum. PMID:23609660

Flux ropes are magnetic structures of helical field lines, accompanied by spiraling currents. Commonly observed on the solar surface extending into the solar atmosphere, flux ropes are naturally occurring and have been observed by satellites in the near earth and in laboratory environments. In this experiment, a single flux rope (r = 2.5 cm, L = 1100 cm) was formed in the cylindrical, magnetized plasma of the Large Plasma Device (LaPD, L = 2200 cm, rplasma = 30 cm, no = 1012 cm-3, Te = 4 eV, He). The flux rope was generated by a DC discharge between an electron emitting cathode and anode. This fixes the rope at its source while allowing it to freely move about the anode. At large currents (I > πr2B0c/2 L), the flux rope becomes helical in structure and oscillates about a central axis. Under varying Alfven speeds and injection current, the transition of the flux rope from stable to kink-unstable was examined. As it becomes non-linear, oscillations in the magnetic signals shift from sinusoidal to Sawtooth-like, associated with elliptical motion of the flux rope; or the signal becomes intermittent as its current density increases.

Flux ropes are magnetic structures of helical field lines, accompanied by spiraling currents. Commonly observed on the solar surface extending into the solar atmosphere, flux ropes are naturally occurring and have been observed by satellites in the near earth and in laboratory environments. In this experiment, a single flux rope (r = 2.5 cm, L = 1100 cm) was formed in the cylindrical, magnetized plasma of the Large Plasma Device (LaPD, L = 2200 cm, r{sub plasma} = 30 cm, n{sub o} = 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −3}, T{sub e} = 4 eV, He). The flux rope was generated by a DC discharge between an electron emitting cathode and anode. This fixes the rope at its source while allowing it to freely move about the anode. At large currents (I > πr{sup 2}B{sub 0}c/2 L), the flux rope becomes helical in structure and oscillates about a central axis. Under varying Alfven speeds and injection current, the transition of the flux rope from stable to kink-unstable was examined. As it becomes non-linear, oscillations in the magnetic signals shift from sinusoidal to Sawtooth-like, associated with elliptical motion of the flux rope; or the signal becomes intermittent as its current density increases.

Within the framework of the project HiTExStor II, a system model for the entire power plant consisting of volumetric air receiver, air-sand heat exchanger, sand storage system, steam generator and water-steam cycle was implemented in software "Ebsilon Professional". As a steam generator, the two technologies fluidized bed cooler and moving bed heat exchangers were considered. Physical models for the non-conventional power plant components as air- sand heat exchanger, fluidized bed coolers and moving bed heat exchanger had to be created and implemented in the simulation environment. Using the simulation model for the power plant, the individual components and subassemblies have been designed and the operating parameters were optimized in extensive parametric studies in terms of the essential degrees of freedom. The annual net electricity output for different systems was determined in annual performance calculations at a selected location (Huelva, Spain) using the optimized values for the studied parameters. The solution with moderate regenerative feed water heating has been found the most advantageous. Furthermore, the system with moving bed heat exchanger prevails over the system with fluidized bed cooler due to a 6 % higher net electricity yield.

We study the parametric excitation of high orders of magnetization precession in ultrathin films having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We observe that for a given driving field amplitude the harmonic generation can be increased by lowering the barrier with the application of an in-plane magnetic field in the manner of the Smit-Beljers effect. In this effect, the magnetic stiffness is reduced not by lowering the magnitude of the magnetic field upon which the spins precess, but rather by effectively releasing the field's "anchoring" point. This results in a shallow energy barrier where the electrons' spin is locally unconstrained. While the observation is unveiled in the form of nonlinear high harmonic generation, we believe that the physics whereby the barrier is suppressed by an external magnetic field may apply to other phenomena associated with ultrathin films. In these cases, such unconstrained motion may serve as a sensitive probe of the torques associated with proximate spin currents. Moreover, our approach may be used as a model system for the study of phase transitions in the field of nonlinear dynamics. PMID:26871356

We describe a routine to correct NICMOS imaging data for the NICMOS count-rate dependent non-linearity recently discovered by Bohlin et al. (2005) and quantified by deJong et al. (2006) and Bohlin et al. (2006). The routine has been implemented in the python scripting language and is callable from the shell command line and from iraf. The routine corrects NICMOS count-rate images assuming the non-linearity follows a powerlaw behavior. The wavelength dependence of the non-linearity is interpolated between the measured points of de Jong et al. (2006) and Bohlin et al. (2006) if necessary. The count rates in the output images are modified and hence the standard NICMOS calibration zero-points are no longer valid. New calibration zero-points have been derived from standard star images corrected with the routine. The routine was tested on the lamp-on/off data used in de Jong et al. (2006) to measure the non-linearity effect. We apply the correction to the NGC1850 stellar cluster field and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) to show the magnitude offsets expected due to the non-linearity on objects with a range in luminosity and surface brightness.

This work investigates the excitation of parametric resonance in exchange-biased spin valves (EBSVs). Using a mechanical point contact, high density dc and microwave currents were injected into the EBSV sample. Observing the reflected microwave power and the small rectification voltage that develops across the contact allows detecting the current-driven magnetodynamics not only in the bulk sample but originating exclusively from the small contact region. In addition to ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), parametric resonance at twice the natural FMR frequency was observed. In contrast to FMR, this non-linear resonance was excited only in the vicinity of the point contact where current densities are high. Power-dependent measurements displayed a typical threshold-like behavior of parametric resonance and a broadening of the instability region with increasing power. Parametric resonance showed a linear shift as a function of applied dc bias which is consistent with the field-like spin-transfer torque induced by current on magnetic moments in EBSV.

Here we investigate ghost dark energy (GDE) in the presence of a non-linear interaction term between dark matter and dark energy. To this end we take into account a general form for the interaction term. Then we discuss about different features of three choices of the non-linear interacting GDE. In all cases we obtain equation of state parameter, w D = p/ ρ, the deceleration parameter and evolution equation of the dark energy density parameter (Ω D ). We find that in one case, w D cross the phantom line ( w D < -1). However in two other classes w D can not cross the phantom divide. The coincidence problem can be solved in these models completely and there exist good agreement between the models and observational values of w D , q. We study squared sound speed {vs2}, and find that for one case of non-linear interaction term {vs2} can achieves positive values at late time of evolution.

To fulfil the "molecular engineering" of non-linear optical crystals, two theoretical models suitable respectively for the studies of the absorption edge and birefringence of a non-linear optical crystal have been set up. Molecular quantum chemical methods have been adopted in the systematic calculations of some typical crystals. DV-SCM-X α methods have been used to calculate the absorption edge on the UV side of BBO, LBO, KB5, KDP, Na 2SbF 5, Ba 2TiSi 2O 8, iodate and NaNO 2 crystals. Ab initio methods have been adopted to study the birefringence of NaNO 2, BBO, LiIO 3 and urea crystals. All the theoretical results agreed well with the experimental values. The relationship between structure and properties has been discussed. The results will be helpful to the search for novel non-linear optical crystals.

This paper examines non-linear free vibration characteristics of first and second vibration modes of laminated shallow shells with rigidly clamped edges. Non-linear equations of motion for the shells based on the first order shear deformation and classical shell theories are derived by means of Hamilton's principle. We apply Galerkin's procedure to the equations of motion in which eigenvectors for first and second modes of linear vibration obtained by the Ritz method are employed as trial functions. Then simultaneous non-linear ordinary differential equations are derived in terms of amplitudes of the first and second vibration modes. Backbone curves for the first and second vibration modes are solved numerically by the Gauss-Legendre integration method and the shooting method respectively. The effects of lamination sequences and transverse shear deformation on the behavior are discussed. It is also shown that the motion of the first vibration mode affects the response for the second vibration mode.

A theory to predict the influence of geometric non-linearities on the natural frequencies of an empty anisotropic cylindrical shell is presented in this paper. It is a hybrid of finite element and classical thin shell theories. Sanders-Koiter non-linear and strain-displacement relations are used. Displacement functions are evaluated using linearized equations of motion. Modal coefficients are then obtained for these displacement functions. Expressions for the mass, linear and non-linear stiffness matrices are derived through the finite element method. The uncoupled equations are solved with the help of elliptic functions. The period and frequency variations are first determined as a function of shell amplitudes and then compared with the results in the literature.

The paper introduces a method of identification of non-linear systems encountered in marine engineering applications. The non-linearity is accounted for by a combination of linear subsystems and known zero-memory non-linear transformations; an equivalent linear multi-input-single-output (MISO) system is developed for the identification problem. The unknown transfer functions of the MISO system are identified by assembling a system of linear equations in the frequency domain. This system is solved by performing the Cholesky decomposition of a related matrix. It is shown that the proposed identification method can be interpreted as a {open_quotes}Gram-Schmidt{close_quotes} type of orthogonal decomposition of the input-output quantities of the equivalent MISO system. A numerical example involving the identification of unknown parameters of flow (ocean wave) induced forces on offshore structures elucidates the applicability of the proposed method.

Two recent studies have suggested that neural network modelling offers no worthwhile improvements in comparison to the application of weighted linear transfer functions for capturing the non-linear nature of hydrological relationships. The potential of an artificial neural network to perform simple non-linear hydrological transformations under controlled conditions is examined in this paper. Eight neural network models were developed: four full or partial emulations of a recognised non-linear hydrological rainfall-runoff model; four solutions developed on an identical set of inputs and a calculated runoff coefficient output. The use of different input combinations enabled the competencies of solutions developed on a reduced number of parameters to be assessed. The selected hydrological model had a limited number of inputs and contained no temporal component. The modelling process was based on a set of random inputs that had a uniform distribution and spanned a modest range of possibilities. The initial cloning operations permitted a direct comparison to be performed with the equation-based relationship. It also provided more general information about the power of a neural network to replicate mathematical equations and model modest non-linear relationships. The second group of experiments explored a different relationship that is of hydrological interest; the target surface contained a stronger set of non-linear properties and was more challenging. Linear modelling comparisons were performed against traditional least squares multiple linear regression solutions developed on identical datasets. The reported results demonstrate that neural networks are capable of modelling non-linear hydrological processes and are therefore appropriate tools for hydrological modelling.

The purpose of the Non-Linear Aero Prediction Requirements Workshop, held at NASA Langley Research Center on 8-9 Dec. 1993, was to identify and articulate requirements for non-linear aero prediction capabilities during conceptual/preliminary design. The attendees included engineers from industry, government, and academia in a variety of aerospace disciplines, such as advanced design, aerodynamic performance analysis, aero methods development, flight controls, and experimental and theoretical aerodynamics. Presentations by industry and government organizations were followed by panel discussions. This report contains copies of the presentations and the results of the panel discussions.

A NASTRAN non-linear finite element model has been developed for predicting the dome heights of THUNDER (THin Layer UNimorph Ferroelectric DrivER) piezoelectric actuators. To analytically validate the finite element model, a comparison was made with a non-linear plate solution using Von Karmen's approximation. A 500 volt input was used to examine the actuator deformation. The NASTRAN finite element model was also compared with experimental results. Four groups of specimens were fabricated and tested. Four different input voltages, which included 120, 160, 200, and 240 Vp-p with a 0 volts offset, were used for this comparison.

New photocrosslinkable copolymers have been synthesized and applied as non-linear optical materials. The copolymers are based on methyl methacrylate, a photo-excitable benzophenone monomer, a non-linear optical active 4`-[(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylamino]-4-nitro-azobenzene (disperse red 1) side chain monomer and a crosslinkable 2-butenyl monomer. These copolymers can be crosslinked by UV light at 366 nm in the poled state and show a stable alignment of NLO chromophore by monitoring the adsorption spectra. The crosslinked and poled film did not change its alignment after storing 4 weeks at room temperature.

Transport of a beam through an accelerator beamline is affected by high order and non-linear effects such as space charge, coherent synchrotron radiation, wakefield, etc. These effects damage form of the beam, and they lead particle loss, emittance growth, bunch length variation, beam halo formation, etc. One of the known non-linear effects on low energy machine is space charge effect. In this study we focus on space charge effect for Turkish Accelerator and Radiation Laboratory in Ankara (TARLA) machine which is designed to drive InfraRed Free Electron Laser covering the range of 3-250 µm. Moreover, we discuss second order effects on bunch compressor of TARLA.

A method has been developed to measure and correct operationally the non-linear effects of the final focusing magnets in colliders, that gives access to the effects of multi-pole errors by applying closed orbit bumps, and analyzing the resulting tune and orbit shifts. This technique has been tested and used during 4 years of RHIC (the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at BNL) operations. I will discuss here the theoretical basis of the method, the experimental set-up, the correction results, the present understanding of the machine model, the potential and limitations of the method itself as compared with other non-linear correction techniques.

In order to perform source coding (data compression), we treat messages emitted by independent and identically distributed sources as imprecise measurements (symbolic sequence) of a chaotic, ergodic, Lebesgue measure preserving, non-linear dynamical system known as Generalized Luröth Series (GLS). GLS achieves Shannon's entropy bound and turns out to be a generalization of arithmetic coding, a popular source coding algorithm, used in international compression standards such as JPEG2000 and H.264. We further generalize GLS to piecewise non-linear maps (Skewed-nGLS). We motivate the use of Skewed-nGLS as a framework for joint source coding and encryption.

Collinear parametric scattering of light under type-II phase matching is considered in a periodic sequence of nonlinear cells made of BBO crystals. The possibilities of reducing the duration of the wave packets of biphotons and increasing their intensity under monochromatic pumping are studied. The analysis is based on the account of dispersion of the refractive indices using Sellmeier equations. The obtained results allow one to conclude that at an appropriate choice of the crystal thicknesses and the number of cells, it is possible to significantly increase the flux of broadband biphotons and obtain extremely short quantum packets. It is shown that for sufficiently small thicknesses of individual crystals (layers), this system exhibits a fine structure in the spectrum of biphotons: with an increase in the number of cells (layers) the broadband spectrum is divided into a number of narrow bands and the number of these bands increases. When use is made of a nonlinear BBO crystal, this method allows one to obtain ultrashort packets of biphotons with duration τ0 ≈ 2 fs. Compared with a different method of generation of broadband biphotons, which is based on the use of quasi-phase-matched periodically poled crystals, the method studied in this paper does not necessitate the need for the phase modulation of a biphoton to be converted into the amplitude modulation.

The nonlinear interaction of sound waves in air has been applied to sound reproduction for audio applications. A directional audible sound can be generated by amplitude-modulating the ultrasound carrier with an audio signal, then transmitting it from a parametric loudspeaker. This brings the need of a computationally efficient model to describe the propagation of finite-amplitude sound beams for the system design and optimization. A quasilinear analytical solution capable of fast numerical evaluation is presented for the second-order fields of the sum-, difference-frequency and second harmonic components. It is based on a virtual-complex-source approach, wherein the source field is treated as an aggregation of a set of complex virtual sources located in complex distance, then the corresponding fundamental sound field is reduced to the computation of sums of simple functions by exploiting the integrability of Gaussian functions. By this result, the five-dimensional integral expressions for the second-order sound fields are simplified to one-dimensional integrals. Furthermore, a substantial analytical reduction to sums of single integrals also is derived for an arbitrary source distribution when the basis functions are expressible as a sum of products of trigonometric functions. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by a comparison of numerical results with experimental data previously published for the rectangular ultrasonic transducer. PMID:16060510

Pulses with parabolic temporal profiles have the property that they can propagate through non-linear media in a self similar manner. Parabolic pulses have been generated experimentally in fiber amplifiers. Input pulses develop into parabolic pulses by the combined action of group velocity dispersion, non-linear refractive index, and gain. In this work, we are exploring the feasibility of generating ultrafast parabolic pulses in laser resonators. We have successfully numerically simulated the generation of parabolic pulses in fiber amplifiers using two different algorithms, the Cayley method, and fourth order Runge-Kutta, to solve the Nonlinear Schrodinger equation with gain and periodic boundary conditions. In contrast to fiber amplifiers, pulses in laser resonators must maintain a stable pulse shape on each round trip through the optical cavity. We are exploring the prediction that a time dependent saturable gain will stabilize the pulse in the oscillator and yield parabolic pulses.

Proposed next-generation muon colliders will require major technical advances to achieve rapid muon beam cooling requirements. Parametric-resonance Ionization Cooling (PIC) is proposed as the final 6D cooling stage of a high-luminosity muon collider. In PIC, a half-integer parametric resonance causes strong focusing of a muon beam at appropriately placed energy absorbers while ionization cooling limits the beam’s angular spread. Combining muon ionization cooling with parametric resonant dynamics in this way should then allow much smaller final transverse muon beam sizes than conventional ionization cooling alone. One of the PIC challenges is compensation of beam aberrations over a sufficiently wide parameter range while maintaining the dynamical stability with correlated behavior of the horizontal and vertical betatron motion and dispersion. We explore use of a coupling resonance to reduce the dimensionality of the problem and to shift the dynamics away from non-linear resonances. PIC simulations are presented.

Second-order nonlinear processes such as second harmonic generation or parametric amplification have found numerous applications in the scientific and industrial world, from micromachining to petawatt laser facilities. These nonlinear interactions are mostly carried out in birefringent crystals because of their low cost and the possibility to operate at high powers Phase-matching configurations in birefringent crystals are determined by their refractive indexes. Here, we show that an important mechanical stress can be used to significantly change the phase-matching properties of a birefringent crystal. As an example, we demonstrate the shift of second harmonic non-critical phase matching wavelength of LiB3O5 (LBO) crystal at room temperature from 1200 nm to 1120 nm by applying compressive forces up to 100 MPa. We believe that this mechanical phase matching can be used as an additional degree of freedom to optimize nonlinear optical frequency mixing geometries. PMID:25321800

Trace gases and their isotopic ratios in planetary atmospheres offer important but subtle clues as to the origins of a planet's atmosphere, hydrology, geology, and potential for biology. An orbiting laser remote sensing instrument is capable of measuring trace gases on a global scale with unprecedented accuracy, and higher spatial resolution that can be obtained by passive instruments. We have developed an active sensing instrument for the remote measurement of trace gases in planetary atmospheres (including Earth). The technique uses widely tunable, seeded optical parametricgeneration (OPG) to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planets. Methane in the Earth’s atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Methane levels have remained relatively constant over the last decade around 1.78 parts per million (ppm) but recent observations indicate that methane levels may be on the rise. Increasing methane concentrations may trigger a positive feedback loop and a subsequent “runaway” greenhouse effect, where increasing temperatures result in increasing methane levels. The NRC Decadal Survey recognized the importance of global observations of greenhouse gases and called for simultaneous CH4, CO, and CO2 measurements but also underlined the technological limitations for these observations. For Mars, methane measurements are of great interest because of its potential as a strong biogenic marker. A remote sensing instrument that can measure day and night over all seasons and latitudes can identify and localize sources of biogenic gas plumes produced by subsurface chemistry or biology, and aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. It can identify the dynamics of methane generation over time and latitude and identify future lander mission

Trace gases and their isotopic ratios in planetary atmospheres offer important but subtle clues as to the origins of a planet's atmosphere, hydrology, geology, and potential for biology. An orbiting laser remote sensing instrument is capable of measuring trace gases on a global scale with unprecedented accuracy, and higher spatial resolution that can be obtained by passive instruments. We have developed an active sensing instrument for the remote measurement of trace gases in planetary atmospheres (including Earth). The technique uses widely tunable, seeded optical parametricgeneration (OPG) to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planets. Methane in the Earth's atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Methane levels have remained relatively constant over the last decade around 1.78 parts per million (ppm) but recent observations indicate that methane levels may be on the rise. Increasing methane concentrations may trigger a positive feedback loop and a subsequent runaway greenhouse effect, where increasing temperatures result in increasing methane levels. The NRC Decadal Survey recognized the importance of global observations of greenhouse gases and called for simultaneous CH4, CO, and CO2 measurements but also underlined the technological limitations for these observations. For Mars, methane measurements are of great interest because of its potential as a strong biogenic marker. A remote sensing instrument that can measure day and night over all seasons and latitudes can identify and localize sources of biogenic gas plumes produced by subsurface chemistry or biology, and aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. It can identify the dynamics of methane generation over time and latitude and identify future lander mission sites

We demonstrate narrowband cw injection seeding of a femtosecond double-pass optical parametricgenerator at 43 MHz repetition rate with a simple, low power external cavity diode laser. Up to 2.5 W of near-IR radiation (1.5 - 1.66 µm) as well as 800 mW of tunable mid-IR radiation (2.75 - 3.15 µm) with pulse durations below 300 fs are generated with a remarkable pulse-to-pulse and long term power stability. Compared to conventional, vacuum noise seeded optical parametricgenerators, the presented frequency conversion scheme does not only exhibit superior gain and noise dynamics, but also a high degree of flexibility upon control parameters such as pump power, seed power, or spectral position of the seed. PMID:27557233

Optimal conditions of low-threshold collinear parametric Raman comb generation in calcite (CaCO3) are experimentally investigated under 20 ps laser pulse excitation, in agreement with the theoretical study. The collinear parametric Raman generation of the highest number of Raman components in the short calcite crystals corresponding to the optimal condition of Stokes-anti-Stokes coupling was achieved. At the excitation wavelength of 1064 nm, using the optimum-length crystal resulted in the effective multi-octave frequency Raman comb generation containing up to five anti-Stokes and more than four Stokes components (from 674 nm to 1978 nm). The 532 nm pumping resulted in the frequency Raman comb generation from the 477 nm 2nd anti-Stokes up to the 692 nm 4th Stokes component. Using the crystal with a non-optimal length leads to the Stokes components generation only with higher thresholds because of the cascade-like stimulated Raman scattering with suppressed parametric coupling.

We show how nonlinear crystals activated with Yb3+ or Nd3+ ions can be used to develop diode pumped solid state lasers emitting in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. For this purpose we have selected relevant examples of systems investigated in our laboratory.

We consider generic protocells models allowing linear and non-linear kinetics for the main involved chemical reactions. We are interested in understanding if and how the protocell division and the metabolism do synchronise to give rise to sustainable evolution of the protocell.

The data sets requiring 3D analysis tools in the context of seismic exploration (both onshore and offshore experiments) or natural seismicity (micro seismicity surveys or post event measurements) are more and more numerous. Classical linearized tomographies and also earthquake localisation codes need an accurate 3D background velocity model. However, if the medium is complex and a priori information not available, a 1D analysis is not able to provide an adequate background velocity image. Moreover, the design of the acquisition layouts is often intrinsically 3D and renders difficult even 2D approaches, especially in natural seismicity cases. Thus, the solution relies on the use of a 3D true nonlinear approach, which allows to explore the model space and to identify an optimal velocity image. The problem becomes then practical and its feasibility depends on the available computing resources (memory and time). In this presentation, we show that facing a 3D traveltime tomography problem with an extensive non-linear approach combining fast travel time estimators based on level set methods and optimisation techniques such as multiscale strategy is feasible. Moreover, because management of inhomogeneous inversion parameters is more friendly in a nonlinear approach, we describe how to perform a jointly non-linear inversion for the seismic velocities and the sources locations.

A non-linear differential equation describing the Langmuir waves in a warm quantum electron-ion plasma has been derived. Its numerical solutions of the equation show that ordinary electronic oscillations, similar to the classical oscillations, occur along with small-scale quantum Langmuir oscillations induced by the Bohm quantum force.

We present a novel approach, based entirely on the gravitational potential, for studying the evolution of non-linear cosmological matter perturbations. Starting from the perturbed Einstein equations, we integrate out the non-relativistic degrees of freedom of the cosmic fluid and obtain a single closed equation for the gravitational potential. We then verify the validity of the new equation by comparing its approximate solutions to known results in the theory of non-linear cosmological perturbations. First, we show explicitly that the perturbative solution of our equation matches the standard perturbative solutions. Next, using the mean field approximation to the equation, we show that its solution reproduces in a simple way the exponential suppression of the non-linear propagator on small scales due to the velocity dispersion. Our approach can therefore reproduce the main features of the renormalized perturbation theory and (time)-renormalization group approaches to the study of non-linear cosmological perturbations, with some possibly important differences. We conclude by a preliminary discussion of the nature of the full solutions of the equation and their significance.

A quantum particle is placed in symmetric double well potential which is coupled to a classical non-linear oscillator via a coupling function. With different spatial symmetry of the coupling and under various controlling fashions, the tunneling of the quantum particle can be enhanced or suppressed, or totally destroyed.

A good understanding of the steady state dynamic behavior of a geared system is required in order to design reliable and quiet transmissions. This study focuses on a system containing a spur gear pair with backlash and periodically time-varying mesh stiffness, and rolling element bearings with clearance type non-linearities. A dynamic finite element model of the linear time-invariant (LTI) system is developed. Effects of several system parameters, such as torsional and transverse flexibilities of the shafts and prime mover/load inertias, on free and force vibration characteristics are investigated. Several reduced order LTI models are developed and validated by comparing their eigen solution with the finite element model results. Several key system parameters such as mean load and damping ratio are identified and their effects on the non-linear frequency response are evaluated quantitatively. Other fundamental issues such as the dynamic coupling between non-linear modes, dynamic interactions between component non-linearities and time-varying mesh stiffness, and the existence of subharmonic and chaotic solutions including routes to chaos have also been examined in depth.

We investigate the interpolation of power spectra of matter fluctuations using artificial neural networks (PkANN). We present a new approach to confront small-scale non-linearities in the power spectrum of matter fluctuations. This ever-present and pernicious uncertainty is often the Achilles heel in cosmological studies and must be reduced if we are to see the advent of precision cosmology in the late-time Universe. We show that an optimally trained artificial neural network (ANN), when presented with a set of cosmological parameters (? and redshift z), can provide a worst-case error ≤1 per cent (for z≤ 2) fit to the non-linear matter power spectrum deduced through N-body simulations, for modes up to k≤ 0.7 h Mpc-1. Our power spectrum interpolator is accurate over the entire parameter space. This is a significant improvement over some of the current matter power spectrum calculators. In this paper, we detail how an accurate interpolation of the matter power spectrum is achievable with only a sparsely sampled grid of cosmological parameters. Unlike large-scale N-body simulations which are computationally expensive and/or infeasible, a well-trained ANN can be an extremely quick and reliable tool in interpreting cosmological observations and parameter estimation. This paper is the first in a series. In this method paper, we generate the non-linear matter power spectra using HALOFIT and use them as mock observations to train the ANN. This work sets the foundation for Paper II, where a suite of N-body simulations will be used to compute the non-linear matter power spectra at sub-per cent accuracy, in the quasi-non-linear regime (0.1 ≤k≤ 0.9 h Mpc-1). A trained ANN based on this N-body suite will be released for the scientific community.

Over the past decade, breakthroughs in the generation and control of ultrafast high-field terahertz (THz) radiation have led to new spectroscopic methodologies for the study of light-matter interactions in the strong-field limit. In this review, we will outline recent experimental demonstrations of non-linear THz material responses in materials ranging from molecular gases, to liquids, to varieties of solids - including semiconductors, nanocarbon, and correlated electron materials. New insights into how strong THz fields interact with matter will be discussed in which a THz field can act as either a non-resonant electric field or a broad bandwidth pulse driving specific resonances within it. As an emerging field, non-linear THz spectroscopy shows promise for elucidating dynamic problems associated with next generation electronics and optoelectronics, as well as for demonstrating control over collective material degrees of freedom.

Recent progress on scattering amplitudes in super Yang-Mills and super-string theory benefitted from the use of multiparticle superfields. They universally capture tree-level subdiagrams, and their generating series solve the non-linear equations of ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills. We provide simplified recursions for multiparticle superfields and relate them to earlier representations through non-linear gauge transformations of their generating series. Moreover, we discuss the gauge transformations which enforce their Lie symmetries as suggested by the Bern-Carrasco-Johansson duality between color and kine-matics. Another gauge transformation due to Harnad and Shnider is shown to streamline the theta-expansion of multiparticle superfields, bypassing the need to use their recursion relations beyond the lowest components. The findings of this work tremendously simplify the component extraction from kinematic factors in pure spinor superspace.

Pulmonary x-ray computed tomography (CT) may be used to characterize emphysema and airways disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One analysis approach - parametric response mapping (PMR) utilizes registered inspiratory and expiratory CT image volumes and CT-density-histogram thresholds, but there is no consensus regarding the threshold values used, or their clinical meaning. Principal-component-analysis (PCA) of the CT density histogram can be exploited to quantify emphysema using data-driven CT-density-histogram thresholds. Thus, the objective of this proof-of-concept demonstration was to develop a PRM approach using PCA-derived thresholds in COPD patients and ex-smokers without airflow limitation. Methods: Fifteen COPD ex-smokers and 5 normal ex-smokers were evaluated. Thoracic CT images were also acquired at full inspiration and full expiration and these images were non-rigidly co-registered. PCA was performed for the CT density histograms, from which the components with the highest eigenvalues greater than one were summed. Since the values of the principal component curve correlate directly with the variability in the sample, the maximum and minimum points on the curve were used as threshold values for the PCA-adjusted PRM technique. Results: A significant correlation was determined between conventional and PCA-adjusted PRM with 3He MRI apparent diffusion coefficient (p<0.001), with CT RA950 (p<0.0001), as well as with 3He MRI ventilation defect percent, a measurement of both small airways disease (p=0.049 and p=0.06, respectively) and emphysema (p=0.02). Conclusions: PRM generated using PCA thresholds of the CT density histogram showed significant correlations with CT and 3He MRI measurements of emphysema, but not airways disease.

Massless Dirac electrons in graphene and on the surface of topological insulators such as Bi2Se3 demonstrate strong nonlinear optical response and support tightly confined surface plasmon modes. Although both systems constitute an isotropic medium for low-energy in-plane electron excitations, their second-order nonlinear susceptibility becomes non-zero when its spatial dispersion is taken into account. In this case the anisotropy is induced by in-plane wave vectors of obliquely incident or in-plane propagating electromagnetic waves. In this work we show that a strong (0.1-1 MW/cm2) near-infrared or mid-infrared laser beam obliquely incident on graphene can experience a parametric instability with respect to decay into lower-frequency (idler) photons and THz surface plasmons. The parametric gain leads to efficient generation of THz plasmons. Furthermore, the parametric decay process gives rise to quantum entanglement of idler photon and surface plasmon states. This enables diagnostics and control of surface plasmons by detecting idler photons. A similar parametric process can be implemented in topological insulator thin films. This work has been supported in part by the Air Force Office for Scientific Research through Grant FA9550-15-1-0153.

Carrier-envelope phase-stable mid-infrared pulses spanning from 5 μm to 11 μm with a pulse energy of 5 μJ were produced by difference frequency generation of two-color near-infrared pulses that were produced in a novel inline optical parametric amplifier. The mid-infrared electric waveform was characterized by electro-optic sampling using 6.5-fs pulses at 620 nm. PMID:27137301

In this article, a non-linear dual-phase-lag (DPL) bio-heat transfer model based on temperature dependent metabolic heat generation rate is derived to analyze the heat transfer phenomena in living tissues during thermal ablation treatment. The numerical solution of the present non-linear problem has been done by finite element Runge-Kutta (4,5) method which combines the essence of Runge-Kutta (4,5) method together with finite difference scheme. Our study demonstrates that at the thermal ablation position temperature predicted by non-linear and linear DPL models show significant differences. A comparison has been made among non-linear DPL, thermal wave and Pennes model and it has been found that non-linear DPL and thermal wave bio-heat model show almost same nature whereas non-linear Pennes model shows significantly different temperature profile at the initial stage of thermal ablation treatment. The effect of Fourier number and Vernotte number (relaxation Fourier number) on temperature profile in presence and absence of externally applied heat source has been studied in detail and it has been observed that the presence of externally applied heat source term highly affects the efficiency of thermal treatment method. PMID:27503734

There is general agreement in the brain-computer interface (BCI) community that although non-linear classifiers can provide better results in some cases, linear classifiers are preferable. Particularly, as non-linear classifiers often involve a number of parameters that must be carefully chosen. However, new non-linear classifiers were developed over the last decade. One of them is the random forest (RF) classifier. Although popular in other fields of science, RFs are not common in BCI research. In this work, we address three open questions regarding RFs in sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) BCIs: parametrization, online applicability, and performance compared to regularized linear discriminant analysis (LDA). We found that the performance of RF is constant over a large range of parameter values. We demonstrate - for the first time - that RFs are applicable online in SMR-BCIs. Further, we show in an offline BCI simulation that RFs statistically significantly outperform regularized LDA by about 3%. These results confirm that RFs are practical and convenient non-linear classifiers for SMR-BCIs. Taking into account further properties of RFs, such as independence from feature distributions, maximum margin behavior, multiclass and advanced data mining capabilities, we argue that RFs should be taken into consideration for future BCIs. PMID:25830903

Current industrial practice for the prediction and analysis of flutter relies heavily on linear methods and this has led to overly conservative design and envelope restrictions for aircraft. Although the methods have served the industry well, it is clear that for a number of reasons the inclusion of non-linearity in the mathematical and computational aeroelastic prediction tools is highly desirable. The increase in available and affordable computational resources, together with major advances in algorithms, mean that non-linear aeroelastic tools are now viable within the aircraft design and qualification environment. The Partnership for Unsteady Methods in Aerodynamics (PUMA) Defence and Aerospace Research Partnership (DARP) was sponsored in 2002 to conduct research into non-linear aeroelastic prediction methods and an academic, industry, and government consortium collaborated to address the following objectives: To develop useable methodologies to model and predict non-linear aeroelastic behaviour of complete aircraft. To evaluate the methodologies on real aircraft problems. To investigate the effect of non-linearities on aeroelastic behaviour and to determine which have the greatest effect on the flutter qualification process. These aims have been very effectively met during the course of the programme and the research outputs include: New methods available to industry for use in the flutter prediction process, together with the appropriate coaching of industry engineers. Interesting results in both linear and non-linear aeroelastics, with comprehensive comparison of methods and approaches for challenging problems. Additional embryonic techniques that, with further research, will further improve aeroelastics capability. This paper describes the methods that have been developed and how they are deployable within the industrial environment. We present a thorough review of the PUMA aeroelastics programme together with a comprehensive review of the relevant research

Non-linear mechanisms arise frequently in plasmas and beam-plasma systems resulting in dynamics not predicted by linear theory. The non-linear mechanisms can influence the time evolution of plasma instabilities and can be used to describe their saturation. Furthermore time and space averaged non-linear fields generated by instabilities can lead to collisionless transport and plasma heating. In the case of beam-plasma systems counter-intuitive beam defocusing and scaling behavior which are interesting areas of study for both Low-Temperature and High Energy Density physics. The non-linear mode interactions in form of phase coupling can describe energy transfer to other modes and can be used to describe the saturation of plasma instabilities. In the first part of this thesis, a theoretical model was formulated to explain the saturation mechanism of Slab Electron Temperature Gradient (ETG) mode observed in the Columbia Linear Machine (CLM), based on experimental time-series data collected through probe diagnostics [1]. ETG modes are considered to be a major player in the unexplained high levels of electron transport observed in tokamak fusion experiments and the saturation mechanism of these modes is still an active area of investigation. The data in the frequency space indicated phase coupling between 3 modes, through a higher order spectral correlation coefficient known as bicoherence. The resulting model is similar to [2], which was a treatment for ITG modes observed in the CLM and correctly predicts the observed saturation level of the ETG turbulence. The scenario is further supported by the fact that the observed mode frequencies are in close alignment with those predicted theoretical dispersion relations. Non-linear effects arise frequently in beam-plasma systems and can be important for both low temperature plasma devices commonly used for material processing as well as High Energy Density applications relevant to inertial fusion. The non-linear time averaged

We present a new two phase model of economic production processes which is a non-linear dynamical version of von Neumann's neoclassical model of production, including a market price-setting phase as well as a production phase. The rate of an economic production process is observed, for the first time, to depend on the minimum of its input supplies. This creates highly non-linear supply and demand dynamics. By numerical simulation, production networks are shown to become unstable when the ratio of different products to total processes increases. This provides some insight into observed stability of competitive capitalist economies in comparison to monopolistic economies. Capitalist economies are also shown to have low unemployment.

The Higgs portal to scalar Dark Matter is considered in the context of non-linearly realised electroweak symmetry breaking. We determine the dominant interactions of gauge bosons and the physical Higgs particle h to a scalar singlet Dark Matter candidate. Phenomenological consequences are also studied in detail, including the possibility of distinguishing this scenario from the standard Higgs portal in which the electroweak symmetry breaking is linearly realised. Two features of significant impact are: i) the connection between the electroweak scale v and the Higgs particle departs from the ( v + h) functional dependence, as the Higgs field is not necessarily an exact electroweak doublet; ii) the presence of specific couplings that arise at different order in the non-linear and in the linear expansions. These facts deeply affect the Dark Matter relic abundance, as well as the expected signals in direct and indirect searches and collider phenomenology, where Dark Matter production rates are enhanced with respect to the standard portal.

We discuss the convergence of cosmological perturbation theory. We prove that the polynomial enhancement of the non-linear corrections expected from the effects of soft modes is absent in equal-time correlators like the power or bispectrum. We first show this at leading order by resumming the most important corrections of soft modes to an arbitrary skeleton of hard fluctuations. We derive the same result in the eikonal approximation, which also allows us to show the absence of enhancement at any order. We complement the proof by an explicit calculation of the power spectrum at two-loop order, and by further numerical checks at higher orders. Using these insights, we argue that the modification of the power spectrum from soft modes corresponds at most to logarithmic corrections at any order in perturbation theory. Finally, we discuss the asymptotic behavior in the large and small momentum regimes and identify the expansion parameter pertinent to non-linear corrections.

The linear growth rate is commonly defined through a simple deterministic relation between the velocity divergence and the matter overdensity in the linear regime. We introduce a formalism that extends this to a non-linear, stochastic relation between θ = nabla \\cdot v({x},t)/aH and δ. This provides a new phenomenological approach that examines the conditional mean , together with the fluctuations of θ around this mean. We measure these stochastic components using N-body simulations and find they are non-negative and increase with decreasing scale from ˜10 per cent at k < 0.2 h Mpc-1 to 25 per cent at k ˜ 0.45 h Mpc-1 at z = 0. Both the stochastic relation and non-linearity are more pronounced for haloes, M ≤ 5 × 1012 M⊙ h-1, compared to the dark matter at z = 0 and 1. Non-linear growth effects manifest themselves as a rotation of the mean away from the linear theory prediction -fLTδ, where fLT is the linear growth rate. This rotation increases with wavenumber, k, and we show that it can be well-described by second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT) for k < 0.1 h Mpc-1. The stochasticity in the θ-δ relation is not so simply described by 2LPT, and we discuss its impact on measurements of fLT from two-point statistics in redshift space. Given that the relationship between δ and θ is stochastic and non-linear, this will have implications for the interpretation and precision of fLT extracted using models which assume a linear, deterministic expression.

Turbulent behaviour of laboratory fusion plasma system is modelled using extended Hasegawa-Wakatani equations. The model is solved numerically using finite difference techniques. We discuss non-linear effects in such a system in the presence of the micro-instabilities, specifically a drift wave instability. We explore particle dynamics in different range of parameters and show that the transport changes from diffusive to non-diffusive when large directional flows are developed.

This paper establishes approximate solution for non-linear iterative fractional differential equations: d/γv (s ) d sγ =ℵ (s ,v ,v (v )), where γ ∈ (0, 1], s ∈ I := [0, 1]. Our method is based on some convergence tools for analytic solution in a connected region. We show that the suggested solution is unique and convergent by some well known geometric functions.

We present a newly developed method to analyze some non-linear dynamics problems such as the Henon map using a matrix analysis method from linear algebra. Choosing the Henon map as an example, we analyze the spectral structure, the tune-amplitude dependence, the variation of tune and amplitude during the particle motion, etc., using the method of Jordan decomposition which is widely used in conventional linear algebra.

Turbulent behaviour of laboratory fusion plasma system is modelled using extended Hasegawa-Wakatani equations. The model is solved numerically using finite difference techniques. We discuss non-linear effects in such a system in the presence of the micro-instabilities, specifically a drift wave instability. We explore particle dynamics in different range of parameters and show that the transport changes from diffusive to non-diffusive when large directional flows are developed.

The linear growth rate is commonly defined through a simple deterministic relation between the velocity divergence and the matter overdensity in the linear regime. We introduce a formalism that extends this to a non-linear, stochastic relation between θ = ∇ ∙ v(x,t)/aH and δ. This provides a new phenomenological approach that examines the conditional mean , together with the fluctuations of θ around this mean. We also measure these stochastic components using N-body simulations and find they are non-negative and increase with decreasing scale from ~10 per cent at k < 0.2 h Mpc-1 to 25 per cent at k ~ 0.45 h Mpc-1 at z = 0. Both the stochastic relation and non-linearity are more pronounced for haloes, M ≤ 5 × 1012 M⊙ h-1, compared to the dark matter at z = 0 and 1. Non-linear growth effects manifest themselves as a rotation of the mean away from the linear theory prediction -fLTδ, where fLT is the linear growth rate. This rotation increases with wavenumber, k, and we show that it can be well-described by second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT) fork < 0.1 h Mpc-1. Furthermore, the stochasticity in the θ – δ relation is not so simply described by 2LPT, and we discuss its impact on measurements of fLT from two-point statistics in redshift space. Furthermore, given that the relationship between δ and θ is stochastic and non-linear, this will have implications for the interpretation and precision of fLT extracted using models which assume a linear, deterministic expression.

Nonlinear identities between unitary minimal Virasoro characters at low levels (m = 3, 4, 5) are presented as well as a sketch of some proofs. The first identity gives the Ising model characters (m = 3) as bilinears in tricritical Ising model characters (m = 4), while the second one gives the tricritical Ising model characters as bilinears in the Ising model characters and the six combinations of m = 5 Virasoro characters which do not appear in the spectrum of the three state Potts model.

The linear growth rate is commonly defined through a simple deterministic relation between the velocity divergence and the matter overdensity in the linear regime. We introduce a formalism that extends this to a non-linear, stochastic relation between θ = ∇ ∙ v(x,t)/aH and δ. This provides a new phenomenological approach that examines the conditional mean , together with the fluctuations of θ around this mean. We also measure these stochastic components using N-body simulations and find they are non-negative and increase with decreasing scale from ~10 per cent at k < 0.2 h Mpc-1 to 25 per cent at kmore » ~ 0.45 h Mpc-1 at z = 0. Both the stochastic relation and non-linearity are more pronounced for haloes, M ≤ 5 × 1012 M⊙ h-1, compared to the dark matter at z = 0 and 1. Non-linear growth effects manifest themselves as a rotation of the mean away from the linear theory prediction -fLTδ, where fLT is the linear growth rate. This rotation increases with wavenumber, k, and we show that it can be well-described by second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT) fork < 0.1 h Mpc-1. Furthermore, the stochasticity in the θ – δ relation is not so simply described by 2LPT, and we discuss its impact on measurements of fLT from two-point statistics in redshift space. Furthermore, given that the relationship between δ and θ is stochastic and non-linear, this will have implications for the interpretation and precision of fLT extracted using models which assume a linear, deterministic expression.« less

We study the non-linear corrections to the matter and velocity power spectra in the synchronous gauge (SG). For the leading correction to the non-linear power spectra, we consider the perturbations up to third order in a zero-pressure fluid in a flat cosmological background. Although the equations in the SG happen to coincide with those in the comoving gauge (CG) to linear order, they differ from second order. In particular, the second order hydrodynamic equations in the SG are apparently in the Lagrangian form, whereas those in the CG are in the Eulerian form. The non-linear power spectra naively presented in the original SG show rather pathological behavior quite different from the result of the Newtonian theory even on sub-horizon scales. We show that the pathology in the nonlinear power spectra is due to the absence of the convective terms in, thus the Lagrangian nature of, the SG. We show that there are many different ways of introducing the corrective convective terms in the SG equations. However, the convective terms (Eulerian modification) can be introduced only through gauge transformations to other gauges which should be the same as the CG to the second order. In our previous works we have shown that the density and velocity perturbation equations in the CG exactly coincide with the Newtonian equations to the second order, and the pure general relativistic correction terms starting to appear from the third order are substantially suppressed compared with the relativistic/Newtonian terms in the power spectra. As a result, we conclude that the SG per se is an inappropriate coordinate choice in handling the non-linear matter and velocity power spectra of the large-scale structure where observations meet with theories.

Liapunov functions to determine the stability of non-linear autonomous difference equations can be developed through the use of auxiliary exact difference equations. For this purpose definitions are introduced for the gradient of an implicit function of a discrete variable, a principal sum, a definite sum and an exact difference equation, and a theorem for exactness of a difference form is proved. Examples illustrate the procedure.

Representation and identification of a non-linear aeroelastic pitch-plunge system as a model of the NARMAX class is considered. A non-linear difference equation describing this aircraft model is derived theoretically and shown to be of the NARMAX form. Identification methods for NARMAX models are applied to aeroelastic dynamics and its properties demonstrated via continuous-time simulations of experimental conditions. Simulation results show that (i) the outputs of the NARMAX model match closely those generated using continuous-time methods and (ii) NARMAX identification methods applied to aeroelastic dynamics provide accurate discrete-time parameter estimates. Application of NARMAX identification to experimental pitch-plunge dynamics data gives a high percent fit for cross-validated data.

The Webb-Resio-Tracy (WRT) method for exact computation of the non-linear energy transfer rate was implemented in MASNUM-WAM, which is a third-generation wave model solving the discrete spectral balance equation. In this paper, we describe the transformation of the spectral space in the original WRT method. Four numerical procedures were developed in which the acceleration techniques in the original WRT method, such as geometric scaling, pre-calculating, and grid-searching, are all reorganized. A series of numerical experiments including two simulations based on real data were performed. The availability of such implementation in both serial and parallel versions of the wave model was proved, and a comparison of computation times showed that some of the developed procedures provided good efficacy. With exact computation of non-linear energy transfer, MASNUM-WAM now can be used to perform numerical experiments for research purposes, which augurs well for further developments of the model.

To eliminate the need for sensor placement on rotating flexible beams such as turbine blades, helicopter rotors and like applications, a new approach has been developed based on the linear quadratic estimator (LQE) technique for estimating the vibration of any point on the span of a rotating flexible beam mounted on a compliant hub ( plant) in the presence of process and measurements noise. A non-linear model of the plant is utilized in this study to mimic the actual plant behavior. The corresponding plant dynamics of the LQE are in the form of a reduced order linear model constructed from the eigenvalues and eigenfuctions of a finite element dynamic model of the plant formulated in the state space. A virtual hub deflection (that mimics the actual measurement of the vertical hub deflection needed by the estimation process) is generated by the non-linear model of the plant. The LQE reconstructs the states of the plant, including transverse deflection of the beam at any point, from the measurements of the vertical deflection of the hub, assuming that it is the most accessible state for measurement. Estimated beam tip deflection obtained by the proposed technique is then compared to the tip deflection generated by the non-linear model and the results show good agreement.

The explosive, filamentary plasma eruptions described by the non-linear ideal MHD ballooning model is tested quantitatively against experimental observations of ELMs in MAST. The equations describing this model were derived by Wilson and Cowley for tokamak-like geometry which includes two differential equations: the linear ballooning equation which describes the spatial distribution along the field lines and the non-linear ballooning mode envelope equation, which is a two-dimensional, non-linear differential equation which can involve fractional temporal-derivatives, but is often second-order in time and space. To employ the second differential equation for a specific geometry one has to evaluate the coefficients of the equation which is non-trivial as it involves field line averaging of slowly converging functions. We have solved this system for MAST, superimposing the solutions of both differential equations and mapping them onto a MAST plasma. Comparisons with the evolution of ELM filaments in MAST will be reported in order to test the model. The support of the EPSRC for the FCDT (Grant EP/K504178/1), of Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 (No 633053) and of the RCUK Energy Programme [grant number EP/I501045] is gratefully acknowledged.

The solution of the problem in the title is reduced to an analysis of the question of the number of and stability of equilibrium states of the quasi-normal form of the boundary-value problem under consideration. A mechanism is revealed for the origin of its so-called simple equilibrium states. It is shown that as the coefficient of elasticity decreases, the number of such states increases, and that those of them with the most complex spatial structure are stable.

We present a technique for determining non-linear resistances, capacitances, and inductances from ring down data in a non-linear RLC circuit. Although the governing differential equations are non-linear, we are able to solve this problem using linear least squares without doing any sort of non-linear iteration.

We report on a method to enhance the temporal contrast of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers (OPCPAs) by smoothing pump noise. The instantaneous parametric gain in OPCPA couples the temporal modulation on the pump pulses to spectral variations of the intensity of the stretched signal pulses being amplified. In this way, pump noise significantly degrades the temporal contrast of the amplified pulses after recompression. Cascaded second harmonic generation (SHG) is adopted to smooth modulation on the pump pulses in the proposed method. Apparent reduction of modulation on the pump pulses is observed in the experiments. Numerical simulation reproduces the experimental results. Simulation results show that cascaded SHG with stable output 2 ω can enhance the temporal contrast for OPCPAs with four to five orders. It is believed that this new method can be widely adopted to build high-contrast OPCPA systems.

We report a simple ad hoc method for designing an aperiodic grating structure to quasi-phase match two arbitrary second-order nonlinear processes simultaneously within the same electric-field-poled crystal. This method also allows the relative strength of the two processes to be adjusted freely, thereby enabling maximization of the overall conversion efficiency. We also report an experiment that is based on an aperiodically poled lithium niobate crystal that was designed by use of our method. In this crystal, parametric oscillation and second-harmonic generation are simultaneously phase matched for upconversion of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser to 570 nm. This self-doubling optical parametric oscillator provides an experimental verification of our design method.

Floodplain sediment storage is an important part of the sediment cascade model, buffering sediment delivery between hillslopes and oceans, which is hitherto not fully quantified in contrast to other global sediment budget components. Quantification and dating of floodplain sediment storage is data and financially demanding, limiting contemporary estimates for larger spatial units to simple linear extrapolations from a number of smaller catchments. In this paper we will present non-linearities in both space and time for floodplain sediment budgets in three different catchments. Holocene floodplain sediments of the Dijle catchment in the Belgian loess region, show a clear distinction between morphological stages: early Holocene peat accumulation, followed by mineral floodplain aggradation from the start of the agricultural period on. Contrary to previous assumptions, detailed dating of this morphological change at different shows an important non-linearity in geomorphologic changes of the floodplain, both between and within cross sections. A second example comes from the Pre-Alpine French Valdaine region, where non-linearities and complex system behavior exists between (temporal) patterns of soil erosion and floodplain sediment deposition. In this region Holocene floodplain deposition is characterized by different cut-and-fill phases. The quantification of these different phases shows a complicated image of increasing and decreasing floodplain sediment storage, which hampers the image of increasing sediment accumulation over time. Although fill stages may correspond with large quantities of deposited sediment and traditionally calculated sedimentation rates for such stages are high, they do not necessary correspond with a long-term net increase in floodplain deposition. A third example is based on the floodplain sediment storage in the Amblève catchment, located in the Belgian Ardennes uplands. Detailed floodplain sediment quantification for this catchments shows

The lensing magnification effect due to large-scale structure is statistically measurable by the correlation of size fluctuations in distant galaxy images as well as by cross-correlation between foreground galaxies and background sources such as the QSO-galaxy cross-correlation. We use the halo model formulation of Takada & Jain to compute these magnification-induced correlations without employing the weak lensing approximation, μ~ 1 + 2κ. Our predictions thus include the full contribution from non-linear magnification, δμ>~ 1, that is due to lensing haloes. We compare the model prediction with ray-tracing simulations and find excellent agreement over the range of angular scales we consider (0.5 parametrized as (f is any cosmic field correlated with the magnification field), the amplitude remains finite for p < 1 and diverges for p>= 1 as μmax->∞, independent of the details of the lensing mass distribution and of the separation angle. This consequence is verified by the halo model as well as by the simulations. Thus, the magnification correlation with p<= 1 has a practical advantage in that it is insensitive to a selection effect of how strong lensing events with μ>> 1 are observationally excluded from the sample. The non-linear magnification contribution enhances the amplitude of the magnification correlation relative to the weak lensing approximation, and the non-linear correction is more significant on smaller angular scales and for sources at higher redshifts. The enhancement amounts to 10-25 per cent on arcmin scales for the QSO-galaxy cross-correlation, even after the inclusion of a realistic model of galaxy clustering within the host halo. Therefore, it is necessary to account for the

Alfvén waves, a fundamental mode of magnetized plasmas, are ubiquitous in space plasmas. For example, a cascade of non-linearly interacting Alfvén waves is believed to play a key role in solar wind turbulence. At perpendicular length scales below the ion gyroradius, this takes the form of Kinetic Alfvén Waves (KAWs). Theoretical predictions show that these Alfvén waves may be unstable to various decay instabilities (e.g. [1,2]) even at very low amplitudes (δB/B<10-3) [2]. Given the turbulent nature of solar wind observations and limited spacecraft spacial resolution, laboratory experiments can play a vital role in exploring the key physics responsible. The present work, conducted at UCLA's Large Plasma Device (LAPD) represents the first fundamental laboratory study of the non-linear Alfvén wave interactions responsible for Alfvén wave decay instabilities. These experiments include the first laboratory observation of the Alfvén-acoustic mode coupling at the heart of the Parametric Decay Instability [3]. More recently, laboratory efforts have focused on the non-linear decay of a KAW into daughter KAWs. In these experiments, a single high-frequency ω/Ωi~0.7 Alfvén wave is launched, resulting in three daughter modes with frequencies and wave numbers that suggest co-propagating KAWs produced by decay of the pump wave. The observed process is parametric in nature, with the frequency of the daughter modes varying as a function of pump mode amplitude. The decay is only observed when there is significant power in the right-hand circularly polarized pump branch; this branch has a phase speed different from the left hand mode at the ω/Ωi where the process is seen. Efforts are underway to fully characterize this set of experiments and compare with decay instabilities predicted by theory and simulations. [1] JV Hollweg, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 23 431 (1994). [2] YM Voitenko, Journal of plasma physics 60.03 (1998). [3] S Dorfman and T Carter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110

Alfvén waves, a fundamental mode of magnetized plasmas, are ubiquitous in space plasmas. For example, a cascade of non-linearly interacting Alfvén waves is believed to play a key role in solar wind turbulence. At perpendicular length scales below the ion gyroradius, this takes the form of Kinetic Alfvén Waves (KAWs). Theoretical predictions show that these Alfvén waves may be unstable to various decay instabilities (e.g. [1,2]). In particular, theory predicts that a KAW may decay into two daughter KAWs even at very low amplitude (δB/B<10-3). Given the turbulent nature of solar wind observations and limited data-points, laboratory experiments may play a vital role in exploring the key physics responsible. The present work, conducted at UCLA's Large Plasma Device (LAPD) represents the first fundamental laboratory study of the non-linear Alfvén wave interactions responsible for Alfvén wave decay instabilities. These experiments include the first laboratory observation of the Alfvén-acoustic mode coupling at the heart of the Parametric Decay Instability [3]. More recently, laboratory efforts have focused on the predicted non-linear decay of one KAW into two daughter KAWs. In these experiments, a single high-frequency ω/Ωi~0.7 Alfvén wave is launched, resulting in two daughter modes with frequencies and wave numbers that suggest co-propagating KAWs produced by decay of the pump wave. The observed process is parametric in nature, with the frequency of the daughter modes varying as a function of pump mode amplitude. Efforts are underway to fully characterize this set of experiments and compare with decay instabilities predicted by theory and simulations. [1] JV Hollweg, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 23 431 (1994).[2] YM Voitenko, Journal of plasma physics 60.03 (1998).[3] S Dorfman and T Carter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 195001 (2013). Supported by DOE, NSF, and DOE FES and NASA Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowships

This paper contains selected parts of the simulation research of large rotor machines (200 MW power turbine-sets). These investigations were based on a non-linear theoretical model and the NLDW computer program, and were carried out in the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of PAS. A trial has been performed of the optimization of system-dynamic properties, through the suitable selection of thermally deformed bearing-bush centers line -- the so called ``hot`` line -- (due to a rotor`s geodesic line), as well as the selection of the external fixing stiffness of bearing supports. Examples are also included of the orbits of selected system nodes for two differently powered turbine-sets. On this basis, an analysis of the stability of those turbines was achieved. A significant objective of this paper is also to point out some possibilities of applying the simulation research, based on a non-linear description of the system, to the diagnostics of rotor-machinery. Non-linear analysis facilitates the possibility of easily generating vibration spectra, as well as creating simulation waterfall graphs. These properties of nonlinear analysis create convenient conditions for gaining specific diagnostic information.

Recently, much attention has been given to the influence of the relaxation process of the non-linear response, because the usual assumption of instantaneous non-linear response fails for ultra-short pulses, and additional contributions coming from non-linear dispersion and delayed non-linearity have to be taken into account. This article presents a numerical analysis of the symmetric planar and asymmetric planar three-core non-linear directional fiber couplers operating with a soliton pulse, where effects of both delayed and instantaneous non-linear Kerr responses are analyzed for implementation of an all-optical half-adder. To implement this all-optical half-adder, eight configurations were analyzed for the non-linear directional fiber coupler, with two symmetric and six asymmetric configurations. The half-adder is the key building block for many digital processing functions, such as shift register, binary counter, and serial parallel data converters. The optical coupler is an important component for applications in optical-fiber telecommunication systems and all integrated optical circuit because of its very high switching speeds. In this numerical simulation, the symmetric/asymmetric planar presents a structure with three cores in a parallel equidistant arrangement, three logical inputs, and two output energy. To prove the effectiveness of the theoretical model for generation of the all-optical half-adder, the best phase to be applied to the control pulse was sought, and a study was done of the extinction ratio level as a function of the Δ > parameter, the normalized time duration, and the Sum and Carry outputs of the (symmetric planar/asymmetric planar) non-linear directional fiber coupler. In this article, the interest is in transmission characteristics, extinction ratio level, normalized time duration, and pulse evolution along the non-linear directional fiber coupler. To compare the performance of the all-optical half-adders, the figure of merit of the

We perform one of the first studies into the non-linear evolution of tidally excited inertial waves in a uniformly rotating fluid body, exploring a simplified model of the fluid envelope of a planet (or the convective envelope of a solar-type star) subject to the gravitational tidal perturbations of an orbiting companion. Our model contains a perfectly rigid spherical core, which is surrounded by an envelope of incompressible uniform density fluid. The corresponding linear problem was studied in previous papers which this work extends into the non-linear regime, at moderate Ekman numbers (the ratio of viscous to Coriolis accelerations). By performing high-resolution numerical simulations, using a combination of pseudo-spectral and spectral element methods, we investigate the effects of non-linearities, which lead to time-dependence of the flow and the corresponding dissipation rate. Angular momentum is deposited non-uniformly, leading to the generation of significant differential rotation in the initially uniformly rotating fluid, i.e. the body does not evolve towards synchronism as a simple solid body rotator. This differential rotation modifies the properties of tidally excited inertial waves, changes the dissipative properties of the flow and eventually becomes unstable to a secondary shear instability provided that the Ekman number is sufficiently small. Our main result is that the inclusion of non-linearities eventually modifies the flow and the resulting dissipation from what linear calculations would predict, which has important implications for tidal dissipation in fluid bodies. We finally discuss some limitations of our simplified model, and propose avenues for future research to better understand the tidal evolution of rotating planets and stars.

The proliferation of non-linear and electronically switched devices has increased the presence of nonsinusoidal currents and voltages in electrical distribution systems. The analysis of harmonics on the distribution systems has been described as being essential to understanding the nature of harmonic performance. One of the basic reasons for conducting a harmonic study is to analyze the effectiveness of proposed remedies to any existing harmonic problem. The analysis and design of any mitigation equipment requires precise calculation of both voltage and current waveforms. Moreover, the parameters that affect the harmonic performance have to be accurately identified and examined. This thesis offers a new time-domain based approach for the determination of both voltage and current waveforms in non-linear distribution systems taking into account the interaction between both voltage and current harmonics (attenuation effect). In addition, the parameters that control the generation and propagation of harmonics into the distribution systems have been identified and investigated. A simple but efficient time-domain based technique has been developed and employed in order to estimate the combined non-linear load susceptance at different harmonic frequencies based on the previously calculated voltage and current waveforms and with the attenuation phenomenon considered. A novel design and implementation of reactance one-port compensators has been applied to reduce both voltage and current harmonic distortion levels in non-linear distribution systems. This application represents a significant contribution to distribution systems analysis as it successfully limits the system distortion. The performance of the proposed compensator is assessed by both simulation and experimental testing.

The basic information architecture in the basal ganglia circuit is under debate. Whereas anatomical studies quantify extensive convergence/divergence patterns in the circuit, suggesting an information sharing scheme, neurophysiological studies report an absence of linear correlation between single neurones in normal animals, suggesting a segregated parallel processing scheme. In 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated monkeys and in parkinsonian patients single neurones become linearly correlated, thus leading to a loss of segregation between neurones. Here we propose a possible integrative solution to this debate, by extending the concept of functional segregation from the cellular level to the network level. To this end, we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from electrodes implanted for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of parkinsonian patients. By applying bispectral analysis, we found that in the absence of dopamine stimulation STN LFP rhythms became non-linearly correlated, thus leading to a loss of segregation between rhythms. Non-linear correlation was particularly consistent between the low-beta rhythm (13–20 Hz) and the high-beta rhythm (20–35 Hz). Levodopa administration significantly decreased these non-linear correlations, therefore increasing segregation between rhythms. These results suggest that the extensive convergence/divergence in the basal ganglia circuit is physiologically necessary to sustain LFP rhythms distributed in large ensembles of neurones, but is not sufficient to induce correlated firing between neurone pairs. Conversely, loss of dopamine generates pathological linear correlation between neurone pairs, alters the patterns within LFP rhythms, and induces non-linear correlation between LFP rhythms operating at different frequencies. The pathophysiology of information processing in the human basal ganglia therefore involves not only activities of individual rhythms, but also

Terahertz (THz) radiation via parametric down-conversion of optical pulses in a nonlinear optical crystal is an attractive way to develop frequency tunable THz-wave sources. Therefore, we have focused on developing low-laser-powerpumped THz-wave parametric sources and then successfully demonstrated a synchronously-pumped picosecond THz parametric oscillator (TPO) in pump-enhanced idler-resonant cavity with a bulk 5 mol% MgO-doped lithium niobate (MgO:LN) crystal. In this paper, toward coherent electro-optical (EO) detection of THz waves generated from our synchronously pumped picosecond TPO, we reported time-domain measurements of the THz electric fields using a bowtie- shaped low-temperature grown gallium arsenide (LT-GaAs) photoconductive (PC) antenna as a THz detector. As a result, we obtained temporal waveforms of the THz electric pulses, for the different number of Si-prism couplers, and then found that the radiated THz waves separated multiple unanticipated pulses by use of the arrayed-prism coupling technique. Also, we compared the time-domain system with a Fourier transform Michelson interferometer using a highresistance silicon (Si) beam splitter, from the some viewpoints. The present results reveal great prospects for the realization of THz spectroscopy and imaging applications using our THz-wave source.

There have been many recent developments in patient-specific models with their potential to provide more information on the human pathophysiology and the increase in computational power. However they are not yet successfully applied in a clinical setting. One of the main challenges is the time required for mesh creation, which is difficult to automate. The development of parametric models by means of the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) represents an appealing solution. In this study PCA has been applied to the feet of a small cohort of diabetic and healthy subjects, in order to evaluate the possibility of developing parametric foot models, and to use them to identify variations and similarities between the two populations. Both the skin and the first metatarsal bones have been examined. Besides the reduced sample of subjects considered in the analysis, results demonstrated that the method adopted herein constitutes a first step towards the realization of a parametric foot models for biomechanical analysis. Furthermore the study showed that the methodology can successfully describe features in the foot, and evaluate differences in the shape of healthy and diabetic subjects. PMID:27068864

Growing evidence demonstrates that climatic conditions can have a profound impact on the functioning of modern human societies, but effects on economic activity appear inconsistent. Fundamental productive elements of modern economies, such as workers and crops, exhibit highly non-linear responses to local temperature even in wealthy countries. In contrast, aggregate macroeconomic productivity of entire wealthy countries is reported not to respond to temperature, while poor countries respond only linearly. Resolving this conflict between micro and macro observations is critical to understanding the role of wealth in coupled human-natural systems and to anticipating the global impact of climate change. Here we unify these seemingly contradictory results by accounting for non-linearity at the macro scale. We show that overall economic productivity is non-linear in temperature for all countries, with productivity peaking at an annual average temperature of 13 °C and declining strongly at higher temperatures. The relationship is globally generalizable, unchanged since 1960, and apparent for agricultural and non-agricultural activity in both rich and poor countries. These results provide the first evidence that economic activity in all regions is coupled to the global climate and establish a new empirical foundation for modelling economic loss in response to climate change, with important implications. If future adaptation mimics past adaptation, unmitigated warming is expected to reshape the global economy by reducing average global incomes roughly 23% by 2100 and widening global income inequality, relative to scenarios without climate change. In contrast to prior estimates, expected global losses are approximately linear in global mean temperature, with median losses many times larger than leading models indicate.

Growing evidence demonstrates that climatic conditions can have a profound impact on the functioning of modern human societies, but effects on economic activity appear inconsistent. Fundamental productive elements of modern economies, such as workers and crops, exhibit highly non-linear responses to local temperature even in wealthy countries. In contrast, aggregate macroeconomic productivity of entire wealthy countries is reported not to respond to temperature, while poor countries respond only linearly. Resolving this conflict between micro and macro observations is critical to understanding the role of wealth in coupled human-natural systems and to anticipating the global impact of climate change. Here we unify these seemingly contradictory results by accounting for non-linearity at the macro scale. We show that overall economic productivity is non-linear in temperature for all countries, with productivity peaking at an annual average temperature of 13 °C and declining strongly at higher temperatures. The relationship is globally generalizable, unchanged since 1960, and apparent for agricultural and non-agricultural activity in both rich and poor countries. These results provide the first evidence that economic activity in all regions is coupled to the global climate and establish a new empirical foundation for modelling economic loss in response to climate change, with important implications. If future adaptation mimics past adaptation, unmitigated warming is expected to reshape the global economy by reducing average global incomes roughly 23% by 2100 and widening global income inequality, relative to scenarios without climate change. In contrast to prior estimates, expected global losses are approximately linear in global mean temperature, with median losses many times larger than leading models indicate. PMID:26503051

The linearized equations of motion of a helicopter in contact with the ground have solutions which can be linearly stable or unstable, depending on the system parameters. The present study includes physical non-linearities in the helicopter model. This allows one to determine if a steady-state response exists and, if so, what the frequency and amplitude of the oscillations will be. In this way, one can determine how serious the linearly unstable operating regime is and whether destructive oscillations are possible when the system is in the linearly stable regime. The present analysis applies to helicopters having fully articulated rotors.

Described is an experimental study to identify the damping laws associated with a squeeze-film vibration damper. This is achieved by using a non-linear filtering algorithm to process displacement responses of the damper ring to synchronous excitation and thus to estimate the parameters in an nth-power velocity model. The experimental facility is described in detail and a representative selection of results is included. The identified models are validated through the prediction of damper-ring orbits and comparison with observed responses.

Compound sawteeth is studied with the XTOR-2F code. Non-linear full 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations show that the plasma hot core is radially displaced and rotates during the partial crash, but is not fully expelled out of the q = 1 surface. Partial crashes occur when the radius of the q = 1 surface exceeds a critical value, at fixed poloidal beta. This critical value depends on the plasma elongation. The partial crash time is larger than the collapse time of an ordinary sawtooth, likely due to a weaker diamagnetic stabilization. This suggests that partial crashes result from a competition between destabilizing effects such as the q = 1 radius and diamagnetic stabilization.

In this work, a nonlinear model based approach is presented for the altitude stabilization of a hexarotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mathematical model and control of the hexacopter airframe is presented. To stabilize the system along the vertical direction, a Proportional Derivative (PD) control is taken into account. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach is used in this paper to select the optimal parameters of the control algorithm taking into account different objective functions. Simulation sets are performed to carry out the results for the non-linear system to show how the PSO tuned PD controller leads to zero the error of the position along Z earth direction.

Space agencies are under pressure to utilize better bandwidth-efficient communication methods due to the actual allocated frequency bands becoming more congested. Also budget reductions is another problem that the space agencies must deal with. This budget constraint results in simpler spacecraft carrying less communication capabilities and also the reduction in staff to capture data in the earth stations. It is then imperative that the most bandwidth efficient communication methods be utilized. This thesis presents a study of 8-ary Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) modulation with respect to bandwidth, power efficiency, spurious emissions and interference susceptibility over a non-linear satellite channel.

We study non-linear primordial adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations and their non-Gaussianity. After giving a general formulation in the context of an extended {delta}N formalism, we analyse in detail two illustrative examples. The first is a mixed curvaton-inflaton scenario in which fluctuations of both the inflaton and a curvaton (a light isocurvature field during inflation) contribute to the primordial density perturbation. The second example is that of double inflation involving two decoupled massive scalar fields during inflation. In the mixed curvaton-inflaton scenario we find that the bispectrum of primordial isocurvature perturbations may be large and comparable to the bispectrum of adiabatic curvature perturbations.

Non-linear processes can explain why Saturn’s rings are so active and dynamic. Ring systems differ from simple linear systems in two significant ways: 1. They are systems of granular material: where particle-to-particle collisions dominate; thus a kinetic, not a fluid description needed. We find that stresses are strikingly inhomogeneous and fluctuations are large compared to equilibrium. 2. They are strongly forced by resonances: which drive a non-linear response, pushing the system across thresholds that lead to persistent states.Some of this non-linearity is captured in a simple Predator-Prey Model: Periodic forcing from the moon causes streamline crowding; This damps the relative velocity, and allows aggregates to grow. About a quarter phase later, the aggregates stir the system to higher relative velocity and the limit cycle repeats each orbit.Summary of Halo Results: A predator-prey model for ring dynamics produces transient structures like ‘straw’ that can explain the halo structure and spectroscopy: This requires energetic collisions (v ≈ 10m/sec, with throw distances about 200km, implying objects of scale R ≈ 20km).Transform to Duffing Eqn : With the coordinate transformation, z = M2/3, the Predator-Prey equations can be combined to form a single second-order differential equation with harmonic resonance forcing.Ring dynamics and history implications: Moon-triggered clumping at perturbed regions in Saturn’s rings creates both high velocity dispersion and large aggregates at these distances, explaining both small and large particles observed there. We calculate the stationary size distribution using a cell-to-cell mapping procedure that converts the phase-plane trajectories to a Markov chain. Approximating the Markov chain as an asymmetric random walk with reflecting boundaries allows us to determine the power law index from results of numerical simulations in the tidal environment surrounding Saturn. Aggregates can explain many dynamic aspects

In this article, we present a real-time 6DoF egomotion estimation system for indoor environments using a wide-angle stereo camera as the only sensor. The stereo camera is carried in hand by a person walking at normal walking speeds 3-5 km/h. We present the basis for a vision-based system that would assist the navigation of the visually impaired by either providing information about their current position and orientation or guiding them to their destination through different sensing modalities. Our sensor combines two different types of feature parametrization: inverse depth and 3D in order to provide orientation and depth information at the same time. Natural landmarks are extracted from the image and are stored as 3D or inverse depth points, depending on a depth threshold. This depth threshold is used for switching between both parametrizations and it is computed by means of a non-linearity analysis of the stereo sensor. Main steps of our system approach are presented as well as an analysis about the optimal way to calculate the depth threshold. At the moment each landmark is initialized, the normal of the patch surface is computed using the information of the stereo pair. In order to improve long-term tracking, a patch warping is done considering the normal vector information. Some experimental results under indoor environments and conclusions are presented. PMID:22319348

A 1.064 μm pumped Rb:PPKTP optical parametric oscillator (OPO) generates mid-IR radiation by intracavity mixing the resonant signal and idler waves in AgGaSe2. The ∼6 ns pulses at ∼7 μm have an energy of 670 μJ at 100 Hz, equivalent to an average power of 67 mW. The overall quantum conversion efficiency from 1.064 μm amounts to 8%, and the power conversion efficiency is 1.2%. PMID:27304290

A description of spontaneous parametric down-conversion in finite-length one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals is developed using semiclassical and quantum approaches. It is shown that if a suitable averaging is added to the semiclassical model, its results are in very good agreement with the quantum approach. We propose two structures made with GaN/AlN that generate both degenerate and nondegenerate entangled photon pairs. Both structures are designed so as to achieve a high efficiency of the nonlinear process.

Biomedical studies often generate repeated measures of multiple outcomes on a set of subjects. It may be of interest to develop a biologically intuitive model for the joint evolution of these outcomes while assessing inter-subject heterogeneity. Even though it is common for biological processes to entail non-linear relationships, examples of multivariate non-linear mixed models (MNMMs) are still fairly rare. We contribute to this area by jointly analyzing the maternal antibody decay for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, allowing for a different non-linear decay model for each infectious disease. We present a general modeling framework to analyze multivariate non-linear longitudinal profiles subject to censoring, by combining multivariate random effects, non-linear growth and Tobit regression. We explore the hypothesis of a common infant-specific mechanism underlying maternal immunity using a pairwise correlated random-effects approach and evaluating different correlation matrix structures. The implied marginal correlation between maternal antibody levels is estimated using simulations. The mean duration of passive immunity was less than 4 months for all diseases with substantial heterogeneity between infants. The maternal antibody levels against rubella and varicella were found to be positively correlated, while little to no correlation could be inferred for the other disease pairs. For some pairs, computational issues occurred with increasing correlation matrix complexity, which underlines the importance of further developing estimation methods for MNMMs. PMID:25908267

In their seminal works on squid giant axons, Hodgkin, and Huxley approximated the membrane leak current as Ohmic, i.e., linear, since in their preparation, sub-threshold current rectification due to the influence of ionic concentration is negligible. Most studies on mammalian neurons have made the same, largely untested, assumption. Here we show that the membrane time constant and input resistance of mammalian neurons (when other major voltage-sensitive and ligand-gated ionic currents are discounted) varies non-linearly with membrane voltage, following the prediction of a Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz-based passive membrane model. The model predicts that under such conditions, the time constant/input resistance-voltage relationship will linearize if the concentration differences across the cell membrane are reduced. These properties were observed in patch-clamp recordings of cerebellar Purkinje neurons (in the presence of pharmacological blockers of other background ionic currents) and were more prominent in the sub-threshold region of the membrane potential. Model simulations showed that the non-linear leak affects voltage-clamp recordings and reduces temporal summation of excitatory synaptic input. Together, our results demonstrate the importance of trans-membrane ionic concentration in defining the functional properties of the passive membrane in mammalian neurons as well as other excitable cells. PMID:26594148

An object's wake in a plasma with small Debye length that drifts across the magnetic field is subject to electrostatic electron instabilities. Such situations include, for example, the moon in the solar wind and probes in magnetized laboratory plasmas. The instability drive mechanism can equivalently be considered drift down the potential-energy gradient or drift up the density-gradient. The gradients arise because the plasma wake has a region of depressed density and electrostatic potential into which ions are attracted along the field. The non-linear consequences of the instability are analysed in this paper. At physical ratios of electron to ion mass, neither linear nor quasilinear treatment can explain the observation of large-amplitude perturbations that disrupt the ion streams well before they become ion-ion unstable. We show here, however, that electron holes, once formed, continue to grow, driven by the drift mechanism, and if they remain in the wake may reach a maximum non-linearly stable size, beyond which their uncontrolled growth disrupts the ions. The hole growth calculations provide a quantitative prediction of hole profile and size evolution. Hole growth appears to explain the observations of recent particle-in-cell simulations.

The poststall maneuverability controlled by thrust vectoring has become one of the important aspects of new fighter development projects. In simplified case, the motion of aircraft can be described by 6DOF nonlinear system. The lecture deals with the longitudinal motion of poststall maneuverable aircraft. The investigation made about the effects of non-linearities in aerodynamic coefficients having considerable non-linearities and hysteresisis an the poststall motions. There were used some different models of aerodynamic coefficients. The results of investigation have shown that the poststall domain of vectored aircraft can be divided into five different pHs in field of thrust - pitch vector angle, and the chaotic motions of aircraft can be found at the different frequencies of thrust deflection. There were defined an unstable right domain with an unstable oscillation and a field of overpulling at poststall motion. The certain frequency chaotic attractors were got at frequencies of Oxitation between the 0.15 and 0.65 rad/sec. The pitching moment derivatives had the big influence on the chaotic motions, while the lift coefficient derivatives bad the reasonable effects, only.

An object's wake in a plasma with small Debye length that drifts across the magnetic field is subject to electrostatic electron instabilities. Such situations include, for example, the moon in the solar wind and probes in magnetized laboratory plasmas. The instability drive mechanism can equivalently be considered drift down the potential-energy gradient or drift up the density-gradient. The gradients arise because the plasma wake has a region of depressed density and electrostatic potential into which ions are attracted along the field. The non-linear consequences of the instability are analysed in this paper. At physical ratios of electron to ion mass, neither linear nor quasilinear treatment can explain the observation of large-amplitude perturbations that disrupt the ion streams well before they become ion-ion unstable. We show here, however, that electron holes, once formed, continue to grow, driven by the drift mechanism, and if they remain in the wake may reach a maximum non-linearly stable size, beyond which their uncontrolled growth disrupts the ions. The hole growth calculations provide a quantitative prediction of hole profile and size evolution. Hole growth appears to explain the observations of recent particle-in-cell simulations.

A reductive perturbation scheme is used to derive a generalized non-linear Burgers' equation, which includes the effects of dispersion, in the long wavelength regime for the two-fluid hydrodynamical model used to describe cosmic ray acceleration by the first-order Fermi process in astrophysical shocks. The generalized Burger's equation is derived for both relativistic and non-relativistic cosmic ray shocks, and describes the time evolution of weak shocks in the theory of diffusive shock acceleration. The inclusion of dispersive effects modifies the phase velocity of the shock obtained from the lower order non-linear Burger's equation through the introduction of higher order terms from the long wavelength dispersion equation. The travelling wave solution of the generalized Burgers' equation for a single shock shows that larger cosmic ray pressures result in broader shock transitions. The results for relativistic shocks show a steepening of the shock as the shock speed approaches the relativistic cosmic ray sound speed. The dependence of the shock speed on the cosmic ray pressure is also discussed.

We constructed an optical parametric amplifier with BiBO crystals, which was injection seeded by a phase-modulated cw beam in the 1,040-1,070 nm region. Two-stage pre-amplification by Yb-doped fibers were implemented for stable injection to the OPA. The frequency chirp in the OPA pulse was actively controlled by adjusting the RF wave for the phase modulation and its synchronization to the OPA firing. Down/up chirps with up to 500 MHz shift were demonstrated. The output pulse energy was ~40 mJ, which is sufficient for future application of frequency conversion and coherent population transfer. PMID:23482098

We propose a general approach to generateparametric maps. It consists in a multi-stage hierarchical scheme where, starting from the kinetic analysis of the whole brain, we then cascade the kinetic information to anatomical systems that are akin in terms of receptor densities, and then down to the voxel level. A-priori classes of voxels are generated either by anatomical atlas segmentation or by functional segmentation using unsupervised clustering. Kinetic properties are transmitted to the voxels in each class using maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation method. We validate the novel method on a [11C]diprenorphine (DPN) test-retest data-set that represents a challenge to estimation given [11C]DPN's slow equilibration in tissue. The estimated parametric maps of volume of distribution (VT) reflect the opioid receptor distributions known from previous [11C]DPN studies. When priors are derived from the anatomical atlas, there is an excellent agreement and strong correlation among voxel MAP and ROI results and excellent test-retest reliability for all subjects but one. Voxel level results did not change when priors were defined through unsupervised clustering. This new method is fast (i.e. 15 min per subject) and applied to [11C]DPN data achieves accurate quantification of VT as well as high quality VT images. Moreover, the way the priors are defined (i.e. using an anatomical atlas or unsupervised clustering) does not affect the estimates. PMID:21924366

An analytical and computer simulation investigation of the dynamic behavior associated with the flexible connecting rod of an otherwise rigid, in-line, planar slider-crank mechanism is presented. The main goal of this work is to determine the manner in which this response depends on the system parameters, with a particular emphasis on non-linear analyses of the dynamic response near resonance conditions. A single-mode model is distilled from the governing partial equations and is used to describe the transverse deflection of the connecting rod. It is found that the slider mass is the primary source of the non-linearity, and that the connecting rod behaves as a system with a softening type of non-linearity, which is subjected to both external and parametric excitations. The effects of selected non-dimensional system parameters, such as the length ratio, damping ratios, frequency ratios and inertia ratios, are investigated in detail. A systematic numerical study is also carried out and compared with the analytical results.

The non-linear response of coupled soil-pile-structure systems to seismic loading is parametrically studied in the frequency domain using two-dimensional (2D) finite elements (FE). The soil-pile interaction in three dimensions (3D) is idealized in the 2D type using soil-pile interaction springs with non-linear hysteretic load displacement relationships. The system under investigation comprises of a single degree of freedom structure supported by an end-bearing single pile founded in a homogenous sand layer over rigid rock. Comparisons with established results from the literature suggest that the adopted FE model reasonably captures the essential features of the seismic response of the coupled soil-pile-structure system. Numerical results demonstrate the strong influence on the effective natural period of the foundation properties. The effect of non-linear soil behavior and soil profile as well as the frequency content of excitation on both kinematic and inertial interactions is illustrated. The relative contributions of kinematic and inertial interaction to the development of dynamic pile bending are clarified.

In many models of genotypic evolution, the vector of genotype populations satisfies a system of linear ordinary differential equations. This system of equations models a competition between differential replication rates (fitness) and mutation. Mutation operates as a generalized diffusion process on genotype space. In the large time asymptotics, the replication term tends to produce a single dominant quasi-species, unless the mutation rate is too high, in which case the asymptotic population becomes de-localized. We introduce a more macroscopic picture of genotypic evolution wherein a random fitness term in the linear model produces features analogous to Anderson localization. When coupled with density dependent non-linearities, which limit the population of any given genotype, we obtain a model whose large time asymptotics display stable genotypic diversity.

The quest for ever increasing fidelity and scalability in measurement of superconducting qubits to be used for fault-tolerant quantum computing has recently led to the development of near quantum-limited broadband phase preserving amplifiers in the microwave regime. These devices are, however, more than just amplifiers: They are sources of high-quality, broadband two-mode squeezed light. We show how bottom-up engineering of Josephson junction embedded waveguides can be used to design novel squeezing spectra. Furthermore, the entanglement in the two-mode squeezed output field can be imprinted onto quantum systems coupled to the device's output. These broadband microwave amplifiers constitute a realization of non-linear waveguide QED, a very interesting playground for non-equilibrium many-body physics.

A non-linear optical crystal vibration sensing device including a photorefractive crystal and a laser is disclosed. The laser produces a coherent light beam which is split by a beam splitter into a first laser beam and a second laser beam. After passing through the crystal the first laser beam is counter-propagated back upon itself by a retro-mirror, creating a third laser beam. The laser beams are modulated, due to the mixing effect within the crystal by vibration of the crystal. In the third laser beam, modulation is stable and such modulation is converted by a photodetector into a usable electrical output, intensity modulated in accordance with vibration applied to the crystal. 3 figs.

A non-linear optical crystal vibration sensing device (10) including a photorefractive crystal (26) and a laser (12). The laser (12 ) produces a coherent light beam (14) which is split by a beam splitter (18) into a first laser beam (20) and a second laser beam (22). After passing through the crystal (26) the first laser beam (20) is counter-propagated back upon itself by a retro-mirror (32), creating a third laser beam (30). The laser beams (20, 22, 30) are modulated, due to the mixing effect within the crystal (26) by vibration of the crystal (30). In the third laser beam (30), modulation is stable and such modulation is converted by a photodetector (34) into a usable electrical output, intensity modulated in accordance with vibration applied to the crystal (26).

We present an experimental investigation of radial spin-wave modes in magnetic nano-disks with a vortex ground state. The spin-wave amplitude was measured using a frequency-resolved magneto-optical spectrum analyzer, allowing for high-resolution resonance curves to be recorded. It was found that with increasing excitation amplitude up to about 10 mT, the lowest-order mode behaves strongly non-linearly as the mode frequency redshifts and the resonance peak strongly deforms. This behavior was quantitatively reproduced by micromagnetic simulations. Micromagnetic simulations showed that at higher excitation amplitudes, the spinwaves are transformed into a soliton by self-focusing, and collapse onto the vortex core, dispersing the energy in short-wavelength spinwaves. Additionally, this process can lead to switching of the vortex polarization through the injection of a Bloch point.

The dielectric response of a water-based magnetic fluid is investigated at room temperature and in the frequency range of 100-10 7 rad/s. The response is linear in the electric fields used. Upon application of a constant magnetic field of 40 mT, which is well below the sample saturation, the response becomes non-linear. Magnetic field effects are isolated by performing a differential analysis of the inverse dielectric permittivity with and without applied field in both perpendicular and parallel configurations. The imaginary part of the differential inverse permittivity displays two peaks. The low-frequency peak is seen to correspond to the orientation relaxation of aggregates also detected in SAXS, photon correlation and atomic force microscopy measurements. The high-frequency peak corresponds to single magnetic particle reorientation.

Effects of memristor on non-linear dynamical systems exhibiting chaos are analysed both form the view point of theory and experiment. It is observed that the memristive system has always fewer number of fixed points than the original one. Sometimes there is no fixed point in the memristive system. But its chaotic properties are retained. As such we have a situation known as hidden attractor because if it is a stable fixed point then the attractor does not evolve from its basin of attraction(obtained from its stable fixed point) or if there is no fixed point, the question of basin of attraction from fixed point does not arise at all [1, 2]. Our analysis gives a detailed accounts of properties related to its chaotic behavior. Important observations are also obtained with the help of electronic circuits to support the numerical simulations.

Understanding the complexity of non-linear dynamics of hierarchically organized systems progresses to new approaches in assessing hazard and risk of the extreme catastrophic events. In particular, a series of interrelated step-by-step studies of seismic process along with its non-stationary though self-organized behaviors, has led already to reproducible intermediate-term middle-range earthquake forecast/prediction technique that has passed control in forward real-time applications during the last two decades. The observed seismic dynamics prior to and after many mega, great, major, and strong earthquakes demonstrate common features of predictability and diverse behavior in course durable phase transitions in complex hierarchical non-linear system of blocks-and-faults of the Earth lithosphere. The confirmed fractal nature of earthquakes and their distribution in space and time implies that many traditional estimations of seismic hazard (from term-less to short-term ones) are usually based on erroneous assumptions of easy tractable analytical models, which leads to widespread practice of their deceptive application. The consequences of underestimation of seismic hazard propagate non-linearly into inflicted underestimation of risk and, eventually, into unexpected societal losses due to earthquakes and associated phenomena (i.e., collapse of buildings, landslides, tsunamis, liquefaction, etc.). The studies aimed at forecast/prediction of extreme events (interpreted as critical transitions) in geophysical and socio-economical systems include: (i) large earthquakes in geophysical systems of the lithosphere blocks-and-faults, (ii) starts and ends of economic recessions, (iii) episodes of a sharp increase in the unemployment rate, (iv) surge of the homicides in socio-economic systems. These studies are based on a heuristic search of phenomena preceding critical transitions and application of methodologies of pattern recognition of infrequent events. Any study of rare

The need to correctly predict the voltage across terminals of mm-sized coils, with ferrite core, to be employed for magnetic stimulation of the peripheral neural system is the motivation for this work. In such applications, which rely on a capacitive discharge on the coil to realise a transient voltage curve of duration and strength suitable for neural stimulation, the correct modelling of the non-linearity of the ferrite core is critical. A demonstration of how a finite-difference model of the considered coils, which include a model of the current-controlled inductance in the coil, can be used to correctly predict the time-domain voltage waveforms across the terminals of a test coil is presented. Five coils of different dimensions, loaded with ferrite cores, have been fabricated and tested: the measured magnitude and width of the induced pulse are within 10% of simulated values. PMID:26609390

The statistical behavior of an idealized linear detector in the presence of threshold and saturation levels is examined. It is assumed that the noise is governed by the statistical fluctuations in the number of photons emitted by the source during an exposure. Since physical detectors cannot have infinite dynamic range, our model illustrates that all devices have non-linear regimes, particularly at high count rates. The primary effect is a decrease in the statistical variance about the mean signal due to a portion of the expected noise distribution being removed via clipping. Higher order statistical moments are also examined, in particular, skewness and kurtosis. In principle, the expected distortion in the detector noise characteristics can be calibrated using flatfield observations with count rates matched to the observations. For this purpose, some basic statistical methods that utilize Fourier analysis techniques are described.

Large fuel casks present challenges when evaluating their performance in the accident sequence specified in 10CFR 71. Testing is often limited because of cost, difficulty in preparing test units and the limited availability of facilities which can carry out such tests. In the past, many casks were evaluated without testing using simplified analytical methods. This paper details the use of dynamic non-linear analysis of large fuel casks using advanced computational techniques. Results from the dynamic analysis of two casks, the T-3 Spent Fuel Cask and the Hanford Un-irradiated Fuel Package are examined in detail. These analyses are used to fully evaluate containment vessel stresses and strains resulting from complex loads experienced by cask components during impacts. Importantly, these advanced analytical analyses are capable of examining stresses in key regions of the cask including the cask closure. This paper compares these advanced analytical results with the results of simplified cask analyses like those detailed in NUREG 3966.

In the linearization of systems of non-linear differential equations, those systems which can be exactly transformed into the second order linear differential equation Y"-AY'-BY=0 where Y, Y', and Y" are n x 1 vectors and A and B are constant n x n matrices of real numbers were considered. The 2n x 2n matrix was used to transform the above matrix equation into the first order matrix equation X' = MX. Specially the matrix M and the conditions which will diagonalize or triangularize M were studied. Transformation matrices P and P sub -1 were used to accomplish this diagonalization or triangularization to return to the solution of the second order matrix differential equation system from the first order system.

A recently proposed model of non-linear electrodynamics arising from a gauge invariant spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking is reviewed. The potential providing the symmetry breaking is argued to arise from the integration of gauge bosons and fermions in an underlying theory. The invariant subgroups remaining after the symmetry breaking are determined, as well as the dispersion relations and polarization modes of the propagating linear sector or the model. Strong bounds upon the predicted anisotropy of the speed of light are obtained by embedding the model in the electromagnetic sector of the Standard Model Extension and taking advantage of the restrictions in the parameters derived there. Finally, a reasonable estimation of the intergalactic magnetic field is obtained by assuming that the vacuum energy of the model is described by the standard cosmological constant.

Neural networks are now one of the most successful learning formalisms. Neurons transform inputs (x(sub 1),...,x(sub n)) into an output f(w(sub 1)x(sub 1) + ... + w(sub n)x(sub n)), where f is a non-linear function and w, are adjustable weights. What f to choose? Usually the logistic function is chosen, but sometimes the use of different functions improves the practical efficiency of the network. The problem of choosing f as a mathematical optimization problem is formulated and solved under different optimality criteria. As a result, a list of functions f that are optimal under these criteria are determined. This list includes both the functions that were empirically proved to be the best for some problems, and some new functions that may be worth trying.

A method and system for extrapolating and interpolating a visual signal including determining a first motion vector between a first pixel position in a first image to a second pixel position in a second image, determining a second motion vector between the second pixel position in the second image and a third pixel position in a third image, determining a third motion vector between one of the first pixel position in the first image and the second pixel position in the second image, and the second pixel position in the second image and the third pixel position in the third image using a non-linear model, determining a position of the fourth pixel in a fourth image based upon the third motion vector.

Attractor reconstruction is an important step in the process of making predictions for non-linear time-series and in the computation of certain invariant quantities used to characterize the dynamics of such series. The utility of computed predictions and invariant quantities is dependent on the accuracy of attractor reconstruction, which in turn is determined by the methods used in the reconstruction process. This paper suggests methods by which the delay and embedding dimension may be selected for a typical delay coordinate reconstruction. A comparison is drawn between the use of the autocorrelation function and mutual information in quantifying the delay. In addition, a false nearest neighbor (FNN) approach is used in minimizing the number of delay vectors needed. Results highlight the need for an accurate reconstruction in the computation of the Lyapunov spectrum and in prediction algorithms.

The development of a novel broadband and tunable optical parametricgenerator (OPG) is presented. The OPG properties are studied numerically and experimentally in order to optimize the generator's use in a broadband spectroscopic LIDAR operating in the short and mid-infrared. This paper discusses trade-offs to be made on the properties of the pump, crystal, and seeding signal in order to optimize the pulse spectral density and divergence while enabling energy scaling. A seed with a large spectral bandwidth is shown to enhance the pulse-to-pulse stability and optimize the pulse spectral density. A numerical model shows excellent agreement with output power measurements; the model predicts that a pump having a large number of longitudinal modes improves conversion efficiency and pulse stability. PMID:25967164

Comparing clustering of differently biased tracers of the dark matter distribution offers the opportunity to reduce the sample or cosmic variance error in the measurement of certain cosmological parameters. We develop a formalism that includes bias non-linearities and stochasticity. Our formalism is general enough that it can be used to optimize survey design and tracers selection and optimally split (or combine) tracers to minimize the error on the cosmologically interesting quantities. Our approach generalizes the one presented by McDonald & Seljak of circumventing sample variance in the measurement of f ≡ d lnD/d lna. We analyse how the bias, the noise, the non-linearity and stochasticity affect the measurements of Df and explore in which signal-to-noise regime it is significantly advantageous to split a galaxy sample in two differently biased tracers. We use N-body simulations to find realistic values for the parameters describing the bias properties of dark matter haloes of different masses and their number density. We find that, even if dark matter haloes could be used as tracers and selected in an idealized way, for realistic haloes, the sample variance limit can be reduced only by up to a factor σ2tr/σ1tr ~= 0.6. This would still correspond to the gain from a three times larger survey volume if the two tracers were not to be split. Before any practical application one should bear in mind that these findings apply to dark matter haloes as tracers, while realistic surveys would select galaxies: the galaxy-host halo relation is likely to introduce extra stochasticity, which may reduce the gain further.

A parametric model is used for the calculation of the CT number of some selected human tissues of known compositions (Hi) in two hybrid systems, one SPECT-CT and one PET-CT. Only one well characterized substance, not necessarily tissue-like, needs to be scanned with the protocol of interest. The linear attenuation coefficients of these tissues for some energies of interest (μ(i)) have been calculated from their tabulated compositions and the NIST databases. These coefficients have been compared with those calculated with the bilinear model from the CT number (μ(B)i). No relevant differences have been found for bones and lung. In the soft tissue region, the differences can be up to 5%. These discrepancies are attributed to the different chemical composition for the tissues assumed by both methods. PMID:26454019

Non-linear aeroelastic characteristics of a deployable missile control fin with structural non-linearity are investigated. A deployable missile control fin is modelled as a two-dimensional typical section model. Doublet-point method is used for the calculation of supersonic unsteady aerodynamic forces, and aerodynamic forces are approximated by using the minimum-state approximation. For non-linear flutter analysis structural non-linearity is represented by an asymmetric bilinear spring and is linearized by using the describing function method. The linear and non-linear flutter analyses indicate that the flutter characteristics are significantly dependent on the frequency ratio. From the non-linear flutter analysis, various types of limit cycle oscillations are observed in a wide range of air speeds below or above the linear divergent flutter boundary. The non-linear flutter characteristics and the non-linear aeroelastic responses are investigated.

A non-linear theory of transresonant wave phenomena based on consideration of perturbed wave equations is presented. In particular, the waves in a surface layer of a porous compressible viscoelastoplastic material are considered. For such layers the 3-D equations of deformable media are reduced to 1-D or 2-D perturbed wave equations. A set of approximate, closed-form, general solutions of these equations are presented, which take into account non-linear, dissipative, dispersive, topographic and boundary effects. Then resonant, site and liquefaction effects are analysed. Resonance is considered as a global parameter. Transresonant evolution of the equations is studied. Within the resonant band, utt~a20∇2u and the perturbed wave equations transform into non-linear diffusion equations, either to a basic highly non-linear ordinary differential equation or to the basic algebraic equation for travelling waves. Resonances can destroy predictability and wave reversibility. Surface topography (valleys, islands, etc.) is considered as a series of earthquake-induced resonators. A non-linear transresonant evolution of smooth seismic waves into shock-, jet- and mushroom-like waves and vortices is studied. The amplitude of the resonant waves may be of the order of the square or cube root of the exciting amplitude. Therefore, seismic waves with a moderate amplitude can be amplified very strongly in natural resonators, whereas strong seismic waves can be attenuated. Reports of the 1835 February 20 Chilean earthquake given by Charles Darwin are qualitatively examined using the non-linear theory. The theory qualitatively describes the `shivering' of islands and ridges, volcano spouts and generation of tsunami-like waves and supports Darwin's opinion that these events were part of a single phenomenon. Same-day earthquake/eruption events and catastrophic amplification of seismic waves near the edge of sediment layers are discussed. At the same time the theory can account for recent

People often have difficulties in understanding situations that involve non-linear processes. Also, the topic of non-linear functions is introduced relatively late in the curriculum. Previous research has nevertheless shown that already children aged 6 years and older are able to discriminate non-linear from linear processes. Within the present…

State variable analysis was used to analyze the transient performance of non-linear circuits on a desk top computer. The non-linearities considered were not restricted to any circuit element. All that is required for analysis is the relationship defining each non-linearity be known in terms of points on a curve.

Engineering non-classical states of the electromagnetic field is a central quest for quantum optics1,2. Beyond their fundamental significance, such states are indeed the resources for implementing various protocols, ranging from enhanced metrology to quantum communication and computing. A variety of devices can be used to generate non-classical states, such as single emitters, light-matter interfaces or non-linear systems3. We focus here on the use of a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator3,4. This system is based on a non-linear χ2 crystal inserted inside an optical cavity and it is now well-known as a very efficient source of non-classical light, such as single-mode or two-mode squeezed vacuum depending on the crystal phase matching. Squeezed vacuum is a Gaussian state as its quadrature distributions follow a Gaussian statistics. However, it has been shown that number of protocols require non-Gaussian states5. Generating directly such states is a difficult task and would require strong χ3 non-linearities. Another procedure, probabilistic but heralded, consists in using a measurement-induced non-linearity via a conditional preparation technique operated on Gaussian states. Here, we detail this generation protocol for two non-Gaussian states, the single-photon state and a superposition of coherent states, using two differently phase-matched parametric oscillators as primary resources. This technique enables achievement of a high fidelity with the targeted state and generation of the state in a well-controlled spatiotemporal mode. PMID:24961685

Tensys have a long-established background in the shape generation and load analysis of architectural stressed membrane structures Founded upon their inTENS finite element analysis suite these activities have broadened to encompass lighter than air structures such as aerostats hybrid air-vehicles and stratospheric balloons Winzen Engineering couple many years of practical balloon design and fabrication experience with both academic and practical knowledge of the characterisation of the non-linear viscoelastic response of the polymeric films typically used for high-altitude scientific balloons Both companies have provided consulting services to the NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon ULDB Program Early implementations of pumpkin balloons have shown problems of geometric instability characterised by improper deployment and these difficulties have been reproduced numerically using inTENS The solution lies in both the shapes of the membrane lobes and also the need to generate a biaxial stress field in order to mobilise in-plane shear stiffness Balloons undergo significant temperature and pressure variations in flight The different thermal characteristics between tendons and film can lead to significant meridional stress Fabrication tolerances can lead to significant local hoop stress concentrations particularly adjacent to the base and apex end fittings The non-linear viscoelastic response of the envelope film acts positively to help dissipate stress concentrations However creep over time may produce lobe geometry variations that may

The non-linear evolution of a magnetic island is studied using the Vlasov gyro-kinetic code GKW. The interaction of electromagnetic turbulence with a self-consistently growing magnetic island, generated by a tearing unstable {{Δ }\\prime}>0 current profile, is considered. The turbulence is able to seed the magnetic island and bypass the linear growth phase by generating structures that are approximately an ion gyro-radius in width. The non-linear evolution of the island width and its rotation frequency, after this seeding phase, is found to be modified and is dependent on the value of the plasma beta and equilibrium pressure gradients. At low values of beta the island evolves largely independent of the turbulence, while at higher values the interaction has a dramatic effect on island growth, causing the island to grow exponentially at the growth rate of its linear phase, even though the island is larger than linear theory validity. The turbulence forces the island to rotate in the ion-diamagnetic direction as opposed to the electron diamagnetic direction in which it rotates when no turbulence is present. In addition, it is found that the mode rotation slows as the island grows in size.

Space situational awareness (SSA) is known to be a data starved problem compared to traditional estimation problems in that observation gaps per object may span over days if not weeks. Therefore, consistent characterization of the uncertainty associated with these objects including non-linear effects is crucial in maintaining an accurate catalog of objects in Earth orbit. Simultaneously, the motion of satellites in Earth orbit is well-modeled in that it is particularly amenable to having their solution and their uncertainty described through analytic or semi-analytic techniques. Even when stronger non-gravitational perturbations such as solar radiation pressure and atmospheric drag are encountered, these perturbations generally have deterministic components that are substantially larger than their time-varying stochastic components. Analytic techniques are powerful because time propagation is only a matter of changing the time parameter, allowing for rapid computational turnaround. These two ideas are combined in this paper: a method of analytically propagating non-linear orbit uncertainties is discussed. In particular, the uncertainty is expressed as an analytic probability density function (pdf) for all time. For a deterministic system model, such pdfs may be obtained if the initial pdf and the system states for all time are also given analytically. Even when closed-form solutions are not available, approximate solutions exist in the form of Edgeworth series for pdfs and Taylor series for the states. The coefficients of the latter expansion are referred to as state transition tensors (STTs), which are a generalization of state transition matrices to arbitrary order. Analytically expressed pdfs can be incorporated in many practical tasks in SSA. One can compute the mean and covariance of the uncertainty, for example, with the moments of the initial pdf as inputs. This process does not involve any sampling and its accuracy can be determined a priori. Analytical

We demonstrate the utilization of Dammann lenses codified onto a spatial light modulator (SLM) for triggering non-linear effects. With continuous wave illumination Dammann lenses are binary phase optical elements that generate a set of equal intensity foci. We theoretically calculate the influence of ultrashort pulse illumination on the uniformity of the generated pattern, which is affected by chromatic aberration for pulses with temporal widths lower than 100 fs. The simulations also indicate that acceptable uniformity can be achieved for pulses of several fs by shortening the distance among foci which can be easily modified with the SLM. Multifocal second-harmonic generation (SHG) and on-axis multiple filamentation are produced and actively controlled in β-BaB2O4 (BBO) and fused silica samples, respectively, with an amplified Ti: Sapphire femtosecond laser of 30 fs pulse duration. Experimental results are in very good agreement with theoretical calculations. PMID:23938889

Simultaneous wall-pressure and PIV measurements are used to study the conditional flow field associated with surface-pressure generation in a separating/reattaching flow established over a fence-with-splitter-plate geometry. The conditional flow field is captured using linear and quadratic stochastic estimation based on the occurrence of positive and negative pressure events in the vicinity of the mean reattachment location. The results shed light on the dominant flow structures associated with significant wall-pressure generation. Furthermore, analysis based on the individual terms in the stochastic estimation expansion shows that both the linear and non-linear flow sources of the coherent (conditional) velocity field are equally important contributors to the generation of the conditional surface pressure.

Acousto-optic deflection (AOD) devices offer unprecedented fast control of the entire spatial structure of light beams, most notably their phase. AOD light modulation of ultra-short laser pulses, however, is not straightforward to implement because of intrinsic chromatic dispersion and non-stationarity of acousto-optic diffraction. While schemes exist to compensate chromatic dispersion, non-stationarity remains an obstacle. In this work we demonstrate an efficient AOD light modulator for stable phase modulation using time-locked generation of frequency-modulated acoustic waves at the full repetition rate of a high power laser pulse amplifier of 80 kHz. We establish the non-local relationship between the optical phase and the generating acoustic frequency function and verify the system for temporal stability, phase accuracy and generation of non-linear two-dimensional phase functions. PMID:26561090

We investigate the non-linear evolution of the relic cosmic neutrino background by running large box-size, high resolution N-body simulations which incorporate cold dark matter (CDM) and neutrinos as independent particle species. Our set of simulations explore the properties of neutrinos in a reference ΛCDM model with total neutrino masses between 0.05-0.60 eV in cold dark matter haloes of mass 10{sup 11}−10{sup 15} h{sup −1}M{sub s}un, over a redshift range z = 0−2. We compute the halo mass function and show that it is reasonably well fitted by the Sheth-Tormen formula, once the neutrino contribution to the total matter is removed. More importantly, we focus on the CDM and neutrino properties of the density and peculiar velocity fields in the cosmological volume, inside and in the outskirts of virialized haloes. The dynamical state of the neutrino particles depends strongly on their momentum: whereas neutrinos in the low velocity tail behave similarly to CDM particles, neutrinos in the high velocity tail are not affected by the clustering of the underlying CDM component. We find that the neutrino (linear) unperturbed momentum distribution is modified and mass and redshift dependent deviations from the expected Fermi-Dirac distribution are in place both in the cosmological volume and inside haloes. The neutrino density profiles around virialized haloes have been carefully investigated and a simple fitting formula is provided. The neutrino profile, unlike the cold dark matter one, is found to be cored with core size and central density that depend on the neutrino mass, redshift and mass of the halo, for halos of masses larger than ∼ 10{sup 13.5}h{sup −1}M{sub s}un. For lower masses the neutrino profile is best fitted by a simple power-law relation in the range probed by the simulations. The results we obtain are numerically converged in terms of neutrino profiles at the 10% level for scales above ∼ 200 h{sup −1}kpc at z = 0, and are stable with

Applying non-linear transfer functions and look-up tables to procedural functions (such as noise), surface attributes, or even surface geometry are common strategies used to enhance visual detail. Their simplicity and ability to mimic a wide range of realistic appearances have led to their adoption in many rendering problems. As with any textured or geometric detail, proper filtering is needed to reduce aliasing when viewed across a range of distances, but accurate and efficient transfer function filtering remains an open problem for several reasons: transfer functions are complex and non-linear, especially when mapped through procedural noise and/or geometry-dependent functions, and the effects of perspective and masking further complicate the filtering over a pixel's footprint. We accurately solve this problem by computing and sampling from specialized filtering distributions on the fly, yielding very fast performance. We investigate the case where the transfer function to filter is a color map applied to (macroscale) surface textures (like noise), as well as color maps applied according to (microscale) geometric details. We introduce a novel representation of a (potentially modulated) color map's distribution over pixel footprints using Gaussian statistics and, in the more complex case of high-resolution color mapped microsurface details, our filtering is view- and light-dependent, and capable of correctly handling masking and occlusion effects. Our approach can be generalized to filter other physical-based rendering quantities. We propose an application to shading with irradiance environment maps over large terrains. Our framework is also compatible with the case of transfer functions used to warp surface geometry, as long as the transformations can be represented with Gaussian statistics, leading to proper view- and light-dependent filtering results. Our results match ground truth and our solution is well suited to real-time applications, requires only a few

Optical parametric oscillators (OPO) and systems are provided. The OPO has a non-linear optical material located between two optical elements where the product of the reflection coefficients of the optical elements are higher at the output wavelength than at either the pump or idler wavelength. The OPO output may be amplified using an additional optical parametric amplifier (OPA) stage.

Tripartite entangled states, such as Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and W states, are typically generated by manipulating two pairs of polarization-entangled photons in bulk optics. Here we propose a scheme to generate W states that are entangled in the energy degree of freedom in an integrated optical circuit. Our approach employs photon pairs generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a microring resonator. We also present a feasible procedure for demonstrating the generation of such a state, and we compare polarization-entangled and energy-entangled schemes for the preparation of W states.

Nonlinear optical processes are one of the most important tools in modern optics with a broad spectrum of applications in, for example, frequency conversion, spectroscopy, signal processing and quantum optics. For practical and ultimately widespread implementation, on-chip devices compatible with electronic integrated circuit technology offer great advantages in terms of low cost, small footprint, high performance and low energy consumption. While many on-chip key components have been realized, to date polarization has not been fully exploited as a degree of freedom for integrated nonlinear devices. In particular, frequency conversion based on orthogonally polarized beams has not yet been demonstrated on chip. Here we show frequency mixing between orthogonal polarization modes in a compact integrated microring resonator and demonstrate a bi-chromatically pumped optical parametric oscillator. Operating the device above and below threshold, we directly generate orthogonally polarized beams, as well as photon pairs, respectively, that can find applications, for example, in optical communication and quantum optics. PMID:26364999

A high contrast 1053 nm femtosecond laser pulse with free background is demonstrated based on non-collinear optical-parametric amplification (NOPA). By permuting the signal and idler in two stages of NOPAs, 48.2 fs, 62 μJ laser pulse at 1053 nm with contrast ratio of 2.3 × 10-11 is obtained within the time scale of sub-5 ps. The beam quality factors M2 for tangential and sagittal directions are 1.59 and 1.30, respectively. This work not only proves a feasible way to generate a clean femtosecond laser pulse but can also be employed as an ideal frontend for ultrashort ultrahigh intensity Nd:glass-based laser systems.

We review an extended research carried out on the theoretical and experimental realization of a macroscopic quantum superposition (MQS) made up with photons. The described scheme is based on a nonlinear process, the quantum injected optical parametric amplification, that transforms the quantum coherence of a single particle state, i.e. a Micro-qubit, into a Macro-qubit, consisting in a large number M of photons in quantum superposition. Since the adopted scheme was found resilient to decoherence, the MQS demonstration was carried out experimentally at room temperature with M ≥104. This result elicited an extended study on quantum cloning, quantum amplification and quantum decoherence. The MQS interference patterns for large M were revealed in the experiment and the bipartite Micro-Macro entanglement was also demonstrated for a limited number of generated particles. At last, the perspectives opened by this new method are considered in the view of further studies on quantum foundations and quantum measurement.

Nonlinear optical processes are one of the most important tools in modern optics with a broad spectrum of applications in, for example, frequency conversion, spectroscopy, signal processing and quantum optics. For practical and ultimately widespread implementation, on-chip devices compatible with electronic integrated circuit technology offer great advantages in terms of low cost, small footprint, high performance and low energy consumption. While many on-chip key components have been realized, to date polarization has not been fully exploited as a degree of freedom for integrated nonlinear devices. In particular, frequency conversion based on orthogonally polarized beams has not yet been demonstrated on chip. Here we show frequency mixing between orthogonal polarization modes in a compact integrated microring resonator and demonstrate a bi-chromatically pumped optical parametric oscillator. Operating the device above and below threshold, we directly generate orthogonally polarized beams, as well as photon pairs, respectively, that can find applications, for example, in optical communication and quantum optics. PMID:26364999

In this paper, we report the improvement of the frequency tuning range of an injection-seeded terahertz (THz)-wave parametricgenerator (is-TPG). A significant previous limitation was the high absorption coefficient in the higher-frequency region of a MgO:LiNbO3 crystal. Here, we inclined the crystal slightly, so that a fraction of the pump beam was internally reflected at the THz-wave exit surface of the crystal. In this configuration, it was easier for a higher-frequency THz wave to reach the crystal surface, because the center core region of the pump beam was closer to the exit surface. As a result, the upper limit of the frequency tuning range increased from 3.0 to 5.0 THz.

Non-linear equations for the slow space-time evolution of the radial drift wave (DW) envelope and zonal flow (ZF) amplitude have been self-consistently derived for a model nonuniform tokamak equilibrium within the coherent 4-wave drift wave-zonal flow modulation interaction model of Chen, Lin and White(chen00). For the sake of simplicity, in this work we assume electrostatic fluctuations; but our formalism is readily extended to electromagnetic fluctuations(chen01). In the local limit, i.e. neglecting equilibrium profile variations, the coherent 4-wave DW-ZF modulation interaction model has successfully demonstrated spontaneous generation of ZFs and non-linear DW/ITG-ZF dynamics in toroidal plasmas(chen00). The present work is an extension of previous analyses to allow both (slow) temporal and spatial variations of the DW/ITG radial envelope; thus, it naturally incorporates the effects of equilibrium variations; i.e., turbulence spreading and size-dependence of the saturated wave intensities and transport coefficients(lin99). This approach makes it possible to treat equilibrium profile variations and non-linear interactions on the same footing, assuming that coupling among different DWs on the shortest non-linear time scale is mediated by ZF only. At this level, the competition between linear drive/damping, DW spreading due to finite linear (and nonlinear) group velocity(lin02,chen02,kim02) and non-linear energy transfer between DWs and ZF, determines the saturation levels of the fluctuating fields. Despite the coherence of the underlying non-linear dynamics at this level, this system exhibits both chaotic behavior and intermittency, depending on system size and proximity to marginal stability(chen02). The present model can be further extended to include longer time-scale physics such as 3-wave interactions and collisionless damping of zonal flows. 9 chen00 Liu Chen, Zhihong Lin and Roscoe White, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3129, (2000). chen01 L. Chen, Z. Lin, R.B. White and

The efficiency of three multigrid methods for solving highly non-linear diffusion problems on two-dimensional unstructured meshes is examined. The three multigrid methods differ mainly in the manner in which the nonlinearities of the governing equations are handled. These comprise a non-linear full approximation storage (FAS) multigrid method which is used to solve the non-linear equations directly, a linear multigrid method which is used to solve the linear system arising from a Newton linearization of the non-linear system, and a hybrid scheme which is based on a non-linear FAS multigrid scheme, but employs a linear solver on each level as a smoother. Results indicate that all methods are equally effective at converging the non-linear residual in a given number of grid sweeps, but that the linear solver is more efficient in cpu time due to the lower cost of linear versus non-linear grid sweeps.

This research presents a new method to improve analytical model fidelity for non-linear systems. The approach investigates several mechanisms to assist the analyst in updating an analytical model based on experimental data and statistical analysis of parameter effects. The first is a new approach at data reduction called feature extraction. This is an expansion of the update metrics to include specific phenomena or character of the response that is critical to model application. This is an extension of the classical linear updating paradigm of utilizing the eigen-parameters or FRFs to include such devices as peak acceleration, time of arrival or standard deviation of model error. The next expansion of the updating process is the inclusion of statistical based parameter analysis to quantify the effects of uncertain or significant effect parameters in the construction of a meta-model. This provides indicators of the statistical variation associated with parameters as well as confidence intervals on the coefficients of the resulting meta-model, Also included in this method is the investigation of linear parameter effect screening using a partial factorial variable array for simulation. This is intended to aid the analyst in eliminating from the investigation the parameters that do not have a significant variation effect on the feature metric, Finally an investigation of the model to replicate the measured response variation is examined.

Since their introduction in the late 1970s, the capacity of optical communication links has grown exponentially, fuelled by a series of key innovations including movement between the three telecommunication windows of 850 nm, 1,310 nm and 1,550 nm, distributed feedback laser, erbium-doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs), dispersion-shifted and dispersion-managed fibre links, external modulation, wavelength division multiplexing, optical switching, forward error correction (FEC), Raman amplification, and most recently, coherent detection, electronic signal processing and optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). Throughout this evolution, one constant factor has been the use of single-mode optical fibre, whose fundamental principles dated back to the 1800s, when Irish scientist, John Tyndall demonstrated in a lecture to the Royal Society in London that light could be guided through a curved stream of water [1]. Following many developments, including the proposal for waveguides by J.J. Thompson [2], the presentation of detailed calculations for dielectric waveguides by Snitzer [3], the proposal [4] and fabrication [5] of ultra low loss fibres, single-mode fibres were first adopted for non-experimental use in Dorset, UK in 1975, and are still in use today, despite the evolving designs to control chromatic dispersion and non-linearity.

The aim of this research is to examine existing geoinformation processing systems and to develop a new system, able to cope with the stochastic nature of remote sensing data. In order to achieve this objective, it is necessary to structure the methodological knowledge in the area of data mining and reveal the most suitable methods for the prediction and decision support based on large amounts of multispectral data. Non-linear methods are a vast and quickly advancing field of research, but in the case of geoinformatics they are far away from applications targeted to end-users. The idea is to establish a framework by decomposing the task into functionality objectives and to allow the end-user to experiment with a set of classification methods and select the best methods for specific applications. In this framework we consider Bayesian analysis tools, nonlinear regression models, neural networks, fuzzy reasoning systems, kernel methods, evolutionary programming, genetic algorithms and decision trees. In particular we compare our results from Bayesian classification based on estimated probability densities of the data to the results obtained from other classification methods. We demonstrate that the theoretically optimal Bayesian classification also provides optimal classification in practice.

π-conjugated organic molecules and polymers are of great importance in physics, chemistry, material science and engineering. It is expected that, in the near future, organic materials will find widespread use in many technological applications. In the case of organic opto-electronic systems, the list of devices includes light emitting diodes (OLEDs), photovoltaic cells (OPVs), field-effect transistors (OFET), photorefractive materials for light manipulation, among others. These materials are also used for photonic applications: all-optical switching, modulators, optical correlators, plastic waveguides, all polymeric integrated circuits, solid-state lasers, and for biophotonic applications as in the case of the development of organic labels for multiphoton microscopy and photodynamic therapy. The advances in the developing of organic compounds with better mechanical, electrical, and optical (linear and non-linear) characteristics are of a great importance for this field. Here, we present the research on this area carried out at the Centro de Investigaciones en Óp-tica (CIO), in collaboration with Chemistry Departments of different institutions. This work focuses on the optical characterization of materials through several techniques such as TOF, FWM, TBC, THG Maker Fringes, HRS, Z-scan, and TPEF. Additionally, some applications, such as dynamic holography by using photorefractive polymers, and OPVs cells will be discussed.

The perturbation induced by radiation impinging on biological targets can stimulate the activation of several different pathways, spanning from the DNA damage processing to intra/extra -cellular signalling. In the mechanistic investigation of radiobiological damage this complex “system” response (e.g. omics, signalling networks, micro-environmental modifications, etc.) has to be taken into account, shifting from a focus on the DNA molecule solely to a systemic/collective view. An additional complication comes from the finding that the individual response of each of the involved processes is often not linear as a function of the dose. In this context, a systems biology approach to investigate the effects of low dose irradiations on intra/extra-cellular signalling will be presented, where low doses of radiation act as a mild perturbation of a robustly interconnected network. Results obtained through a multi-level investigation of both DNA damage repair processes (e.g. gamma-H2AX response) and of the activation kinetics for intra/extra cellular signalling pathways (e.g. NFkB activation) show that the overall cell response is dominated by non-linear processes - such as negative feedbacks - leading to possible non equilibrium steady states and to a poor signal-to-noise ratio. Together with experimental data of radiation perturbed pathways, different modelling approaches will be also discussed.

The electron temperature gradient (ETG) mode is a very plausible candidate to explain the large electron particle transport and thermal conduction. Production and identification of slab ETG modes and measurement electron transport have been already reported [X. Wei, V. Sokolov, and A. K. Sen, Phys. Plasmas 17, 042108 (2010); V. Sokolov and A. K. Sen, Phys. Rev. Lett. (2011)]. Now, we develop a theoretical model of non-linear saturation mechanism of ETG mode based on the three wave coupling of an unstable high frequency ETG mode with a damped ETG radial harmonic and a damped ion acoustic (IA) mode. Bicoherence analysis of Columbia linear machine (CLM) data show coupling between ETG modes ({approx}2.4 MHz) and a low frequency mode ({approx}50 kHz). The large damping drive of the ETG radial harmonic accompanied by the smaller but finite damping of the IA mode presents an energy sink for the unstable ETG mode, thus causing saturation. This model predicts a saturation level of {approx}10% and agrees with the observed levels of ETG modes in the CLM.

Oftentimes cells are removed from the body for disease diagnosis or cellular research. This typically requires fluorescent labeling followed by sorting with a flow cytometer; however, possible disruption of cellular function or even cell death due to the presence of the label can occur. This may be acceptable for ex vivo applications, but as cells are more frequently moving from the lab to the body, label-free methods of cell sorting are needed to eliminate these issues. This is especially true of the growing field of stem cell research where specialized cells are needed for treatments. Because differentiation processes are not completely efficient, cells must be sorted to eliminate any unwanted cells (i.e. un-differentiated or differentiated into an unwanted cell type). In order to perform label-free measurements, non-linear optics (NLO) have been increasingly utilized for single cell analysis because of their ability to not disrupt cellular function. An optical system was developed for the measurement of NLO in a microfluidic channel similar to a flow cytometer. In order to improve the excitation efficiency of NLO, a scanned Bessel beam was utilized to create a light-sheet across the channel. The system was tested by monitoring twophoton fluorescence from polystyrene microbeads of different sizes. Fluorescence intensity obtained from light-sheet measurements were significantly greater than measurements made using a static Gaussian beam. In addition, the increase in intensity from larger sized beads was more evident for the light-sheet system.

Modern research on nuclear fusion energy, based on the tokamak concept, has strong need of tools for actively driving non-inductive current especially at the periphery of plasma column, where tools available so far have poor efficiency. This is essential for solving one of the most critical problems for thermonuclear reactor, consisting in how to achieve the figure of fusion gain in the context of sufficient stability. The lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect has the potential capability of driving current at large radii of reactor plasma with high efficiency [1]. Experiments recently carried out on EAST showed that a strong activity of LH sideband waves (from the RF probe spectra), accompanied by weak core penetration of the coupled LH power, is present when operating at relatively high plasma densities. Previous theoretical results, confirmed by experiments on FTU, showed that the LH sideband phenomenon is produced by parametric instability (PI), which are mitigated by higher plasma edge temperatures. This condition is thus useful for enabling the LH power propagation when operating with profiles having high plasma densities even at the edge. In the present work, we show new PI modeling of EAST plasmas data, obtained in condition of higher plasma edge temperature due to chamber lithisation. The obtained trend of the PI frequencies and growth rates is consistent with data of RF probe spectra, available in different regimes of lithisated and not lithisated vessel. Moreover, these spectra are interpreted as PI effect occurring at the periphery of plasma column, however in the low field side where the LH power is coupled.

Modern research on nuclear fusion energy, based on the tokamak concept, has strong need of tools for actively driving non-inductive current especially at the periphery of plasma column, where tools available so far have poor efficiency. This is essential for solving one of the most critical problems for thermonuclear reactor, consisting in how to achieve the figure of fusion gain in the context of sufficient stability. The lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect has the potential capability of driving current at large radii of reactor plasma with high efficiency [1]. Experiments recently carried out on EAST showed that a strong activity of LH sideband waves (from the RF probe spectra), accompanied by weak core penetration of the coupled LH power, is present when operating at relatively high plasma densities. Previous theoretical results, confirmed by experiments on FTU, showed that the LH sideband phenomenon is produced by parametric instability (PI), which are mitigated by higher plasma edge temperatures. This condition is thus useful for enabling the LH power propagation when operating with profiles having high plasma densities even at the edge. In the present work, we show new PI modeling of EAST plasmas data, obtained in condition of higher plasma edge temperature due to chamber lithisation. The obtained trend of the PI frequencies and growth rates is consistent with data of RF probe spectra, available in different regimes of lithisated and not lithisated vessel. Moreover, these spectra are interpreted as PI effect occurring at the periphery of plasma column, however in the low field side where the LH power is coupled.

In LiIO(3) and BBO crystals the wave-matching conditions for femtosecond noncollinear parametric light generation at lambda = 390 nm pumping wavelength are investigated. In the LiIO(3) crystal simultaneous phase- and group-velocity-matching angles are determined. Parametricgeneration occurred at 0.45-2.9-mu;m wavelengths by pumping with the second harmonic of 150-fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses and is in qualitative agreement with calculated directions in both crystals. PMID:19859117

A new non-linear mathematical model was constructed in order to perform in vivo quantification of the RES phagocytic function. This method is based on the same technical facilities as used for the routine liver-spleen scintigraphy with radiocolloids [1, 2]. But kinetic modeling of dynamic Tc-99m-sulfur colloid data produced estimations of the functional RE-parameters: the clearance rate of the colloidal particles, the rate of phagocytosis, and the RES functional volume, which can not be obtained by classical approaches. This non-linear model was designed on the basis of the principal characteristics of particulate material interaction with macrophages (attachment, phagocytosis, digestion) [3, 4, 5]. The theoretically examined behavior of this in vivo mathematical model corresponds with the experimental behavior of the RES. The mathematical expression of the dynamics is the system of non-linear differential equations with constant coefficients that have no analytical solution. Fitting of the normalized heart blood time-activity curve was obtained to identify the unknown model parameters via non-linear regression. For this purpose general interactive PASCAL procedure IDPAR for a PDP-11/34 computer was used (an IBM PC version is also available). Two to three iterations were needed to estimate the set of unknown parameters for any patient study (1-1.5 min). A very good fitting was obtained between experimental and model curves in every case of different pathologies (error of the approximation is about 2-3%). Studies were performed using an in vivo bolus injection of 3.6 mg/80 kg commercially available colloid KOREN labeled with 3m-Ci 99m-Tc (analog of TCK-1). Our method was used to determine the RES functional parameters for patient groups with different levels of the RES dysfunction. Obtained results illustrate the possibilities of our technique to quantitatively estimate not only great pathology (portal cirrhosis), but also small changes of the RE-function (case of

In this paper we report the generation of wavelength-division-multiplexed, time-bin entangled photon pairs by using cascaded optical second nonlinearities (sum-frequency generation and subsequent spontaneous parametric downconversion) in a periodically poled LiNbO3 device. Visibilities of approximately 94% were clearly observed in two-photon interference experiments for all the wavelength-multiplexed channels under investigation (five pairs), with insensitivity to the polarization states of the photon pairs. We also evaluated the performances in terms of quantum-key-distribution (QKD) applications by using four single-photon detectors, which enables to evaluate the QKD performance properly. The results showed long-term stability over 70 hours, maintaining approximately 3% of the quantum error rate and 110 bit/s of the sifted key rate. PMID:27557236

In this paper the non-linear vibrations of beams excited by vortex-shedding are considered. In particular, the steady state responses of beams near the synchronization region are taken into account. The main aerodynamic properties of wind are described by using the semi-empirical model proposed by Hartlen and Currie. The finite element method and the strip method are used to formulate the equation of motion of the system treated. The harmonic balance method is adopted to derive the amplitude equations. These equations are solved with the help of the continuation method which is very convenient to perform the parametric studies of the problem and to determine the response curve in the synchronization region. Moreover, the equations of motion are also integrated using the Newmark method. The results of calculations of several example problems are also shown to confirm the efficiency and accuracy of the presented method. The results obtained by the harmonic balance method and by the Newmark methods are in good agreement with each other.

The dynamic behavior of a physical pendulum system of which the support is subjected to both rotation and vertical vibration are studied in this paper. Both analytical and computational results are employed to obtain the characteristics of the system. By using Lyapunov's direct method the conditions of stability of the relative equilibrium position can be determined. Melnikov's method is applied to identify the existence of chaotic motion. The incremental harmonic balance method is used to find the stable and unstable periodic solutions for the strong non-linear system. By applying various numerical results such as phase portrait, Pioncaré map, time history and power spectrum analysis, a variety of the periodic solutions and the phenomena of the chaotic motion can be presented. The effects of the changes of parameters in the system could be found in the bifurcation and parametric diagrams. Further, chaotic motion can be verified by using Lyapunov exponent and Lyapunov dimension. The global analysis of basin boundary and fractal structure are observed by the modified interpolated cell mapping method. Besides, non-feedback control, delayed feedback control, adaptive control, and variable structure control are used to control the chaos effectively.

Following acoustics and largely thanks to the pioneering work of a group of Soviet geophysicists, the study of non-linear elastic properties and their effects is becoming an active field of research in geophysics. The research so far has produced a substantial body of evidence indicating that earth materials, from soils to crystalline rocks, are much more non-linear than is commonly believed and certainly far more non-linear than the materials usually used and studied in acoustics. But although most of the evidence comes from vibrator-aided experiments, apparently best suited for investigating the non-linearity of the geophysical medium owing to the ability of modern vibrators to generate seismic signals of prescribed form, the absence of a standard experimental technique makes it difficult to estimate and compare the various results, particularly in view of the considerable non-linearity of the source (vibrator-ground system) itself. The aim of the present vibrator-aided experiments was to try to confirm certain results in non-linear seismology, particularly the effects of harmonic generation and non-linear interaction in vibrator-induced sinusoidal seismic waves, by using an experimental method designed to enable one to discriminate between source, near-field and far-field non-linear effects. In the experiments, two identical prospecting vibrators, installed on the ground surface some 16 m apart, were driven in the harmonic regime separately and simultaneously (tests on non-linear evolution and interaction), a wide range of excitation frequencies and amplitudes being covered, and the resulting ground-surface motion was picked up by an array consisting of 48 groups of 12 vertical geophones-velocimeters and recorded, in multiplex form, by a prospecting seismic station. Tests were made first for short and intermediate source-receiver distances (near field, distance range covered 0-200 m, 5-m spacing of geophone groups), then for large distances (far field, range 1

This paper considers an accepted model of the metal cutting process dynamics in the context of an approximate analysis of the resulting non-linear differential equations of motion. The process model is based upon the established mechanics of orthogonal cutting and results in a pair of non-linear ordinary differential equations which are then restated in a form suitable for approximate analytical solution. The chosen solution technique is the perturbation method of multiple time scales and approximate closed-form solutions are generated for the most important non-resonant case. Numerical data are then substituted into the analytical solutions and key results are obtained and presented. Some comparisons between the exact numerical calculations for the forces involved and their reduced and simplified analytical counterparts are given. It is shown that there is almost no discernible difference between the two thus confirming the validity of the excitation functions adopted in the analysis for the data sets used, these being chosen to represent a real orthogonal cutting process. In an attempt to provide guidance for the selection of technological parameters for the avoidance of primary chatter, this paper determines for the first time the stability regions in terms of the depth of cut and the cutting speed co-ordinates.

One method to acquire multispectral images is to sequentially capture a series of images where each image contains information from a different bandwidth of light. Another method is to use a series of beamsplitters and dichroic filters to guide different bandwidths of light onto different cameras. However, these methods are very time consuming and expensive and perform poorly in dynamic scenes or when observing transient phenomena. An alternative strategy to capturing multispectral data is to infer this data using sparse spectral reflectance measurements captured using an imaging device with overlapping bandpass filters, such as a consumer digital camera using a Bayer filter pattern. Currently the only method of inferring dense reflectance spectra is the Wiener adaptive filter, which makes Gaussian assumptions about the data. However, these assumptions may not always hold true for all data. We propose a new technique to infer dense reflectance spectra from sparse spectral measurements through the use of a non-linear regression model. The non-linear regression model used in this technique is the random forest model, which is an ensemble of decision trees and trained via the spectral characterization of the optical imaging system and spectral data pair generation. This model is then evaluated by spectrally characterizing different patches on the Macbeth color chart, as well as by reconstructing inferred multispectral images. Results show that the proposed technique can produce inferred dense reflectance spectra that correlate well with the true dense reflectance spectra, which illustrates the merits of the technique.

Direct numerical simulation is performed on a two-dimensional compressible, viscous fluid interacting with a non-linear, viscoelastic solid as a model for the generation of the human voice. The vocal fold (VF) tissues are modeled as multi-layered with varying stiffness in each layer and using a finite-strain Standard Linear Solid (SLS) constitutive model implemented in a quadratic finite element code and coupled to a high-order compressible Navier-Stokes solver through a boundary-fitted fluid-solid interface. The large non-linear mesh deformation is handled using an elliptic/poisson smoothening technique. Supra-glottal flow shows asymmetry in the flow, which in turn has a coupling effect on the motion of the VF. The fully compressible simulations gives direct insight into the sound produced as pressure distributions and the vocal fold deformation helps study the unsteady vortical flow resulting from the fluid-structure interaction along the full phonation cycle. Supported by the National Science Foundation (CAREER Award Number 1150439).

In medicine in general, and for cancer treatments in particular, there is a drive to find effective non-invasive therapies. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) represents one such technique. In principle, it is simple--a high energy ultrasound beam is brought to a tight focus within a target which may lie several centimetres below the skin surface (for example, in a tumour of the liver), and is used to destroy a selected tissue volume. The main mechanism for cell killing in a HIFU beam is heat. Ultrasound energy absorption is frequency dependent, the higher frequencies being absorbed most strongly. Significant thermal advantage may therefore be gained from non-linear propagation, which generates higher harmonics, in tissue. Acoustic cavitation and thermal exsolution of gas (boiling) also contribute to tissue damage. This activity leads to the local mechanical disruption of cells. In addition, the non-linear oscillation of these bubbles leads to enhanced energy deposition. The acoustic emissions from such bubbles are characteristic of their behaviour and may be correlated to some extent with the appearance of the disruption produced. The more widespread clinical acceptance of HIFU is awaiting faster, and more efficient, energy delivery and treatment monitoring. A better understanding of the nonlinear aspects of HIFU propagation in tissue is thus important if this technique is to benefit more patients.

In medicine in general, and for cancer treatments in particular, there is a drive to find effective non-invasive therapies. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) represents one such technique. In principle, it is simple—a high energy ultrasound beam is brought to a tight focus within a target which may lie several centimetres below the skin surface (for example, in a tumour of the liver), and is used to destroy a selected tissue volume. The main mechanism for cell killing in a HIFU beam is heat. Ultrasound energy absorption is frequency dependent, the higher frequencies being absorbed most strongly. Significant thermal advantage may therefore be gained from non-linear propagation, which generates higher harmonics, in tissue. Acoustic cavitation and thermal exsolution of gas (boiling) also contribute to tissue damage. This activity leads to the local mechanical disruption of cells. In addition, the non-linear oscillation of these bubbles leads to enhanced energy deposition. The acoustic emissions from such bubbles are characteristic of their behaviour and may be correlated to some extent with the appearance of the disruption produced. The more widespread clinical acceptance of HIFU is awaiting faster, and more efficient, energy delivery and treatment monitoring. A better understanding of the nonlinear aspects of HIFU propagation in tissue is thus important if this technique is to benefit more patients.

The Diamagnetic Kepler Trap is a potential energy well that arises from a static Coulomb potential in a superimposed uniform magnetic field. In an experimental arrangement with this configuration, we generate a system of electrons and ions by ionization of the neutral background gas that has a typical density of 10^12 particles per cubic centimeter. The lifetime of the trapped electrons is sufficiently long that we can observe collective oscillations. Here, we examine these oscillations by coupling a probe to the plasma and measuring the induced current. We find that as we deepen the potential energy well these oscillations progress through a sequence of linear, non-linear and chaotic behavior. Using the photographs of the light emission from the excited neutrals, we observe that the non-linearity of the collective oscillations results from an increase in the trapped electron density that moves in a direction parallel to the magnetic field lines. From the FFT of the induced current, we find that the transition from linearity to chaos occurs through intermittent fluctuations in the measured signal that are manifest in the broadening of the spectrum. Since the applied sphere voltage never collapses, the electrons remain trapped in the potential energy well and we conclude that the chaos results from a breakdown of the collective behavior into that of many individual singly trapped electrons.

We report a tunable, high-energy, single-pass, optical parametricgenerator (OPG) based on the new nonlinear material, cadmium silicon phosphide, CdSiP2. The OPG is pumped by a laboratory designed cavity-dumped passively mode-locked, diode-pumped, Nd:YAG oscillator, providing 25 μJ pulses in 20 ps at 5 Hz. The pump energy is further boosted by a flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier to 2.5 mJ. The OPG is temperature tunable over 1263-1286 nm (23 nm) in the signal and 6153-6731 nm (578 nm) in the idler, corresponding to a total tuning range of 601 nm. Using the single-pass OPG configuration, we have generated signal energy as high as 636 μJ at 1283 nm, together with an idler energy of 33 μJ at 6234 nm, for 2.1 mJ of input pump energy. The signal pulses generated from the OPG have a Gaussian pulse duration of 24 ps and an FWHM spectral bandwidth of 10.4 nm at central wavelength of 1276 nm. The corresponding idler spectrum has an FWHM bandwidth of 140 nm centered at 6404 nm.

In experiments, extension fractures were generated in rigid layers of Plaster of Paris resting on a viscous substratum (pitch). The experimental results predict a non-linear relationship between the spacing of fractures in uniform brittle layers and layer thickness for fractures generated by the tractional force of embeddins weak rocks. We derive an equation which relates the critical fracture spacing ( λc) with layer thickness ( b), tensile strength of the layer material/viscosity of the embedding medium ratio ( τo/ η) and bulk strain rate ( ɛ˙b). The equation shows that the spacing increases as a function of the square root of the layer thickness. The theory also predicts that the fracture spacing depends on the strain rate when the embedding weak medium is viscous.

Femtosecond laser beams can exhibit spatio-temporal couplings (STC), i.e. a temporal dependence of their spatial properties, or vice versa. Although these couplings have long been considered as detrimental for high-intensity and ultrafast experiments, moderate and controlled STC provide a powerful means of controlling high-intensity laser-matter interactions. This talk will first explain the basics of a particular STC, where the propagation direction of laser light rotates in time on the femtosecond time scale. Laser pulses with such ultrafast wavefront rotation can be used to generate attosecond pulses of light through non-linear optical processes. We show that these pulses, periodically generated in each laser cycle, can then be emitted in spatially separated beamlets. This effects provides a new type of light sources called attosecond lighthouses, and can be exploited for ultrafast measurements with femtosecond resolution, in a scheme called photonic streaking.

The numerical study of newly designed solid core photonic crystal fiber (SCPCF) having three hexagonal air hole rings in cladding region and one small nano hole at the center are presented. By using full vectorial finite element method (FV-FEM), we analyses the optical properties like effective area, nonlinearity and confinement loss of the proposed PCF. Results show that the change in core diameter controls the effective area, nonlinearity and confinement loss. A low effective area (3.34 µm2), high nonlinearity (36.34 W-1km-1) and low confinement loss (0.00106 dB/km) are achieved at the communication wavelength 1.55 µm for the SCPCF having core air hole diameter 0.10 µm, cladding air holes diameter 1.00 µm and pitch 2.50 µm. This type of PCF is very useful in non-linear applications such as supercontinuum generation, four wave mixing, second harmonic generation etc.

The non-linear Schrödinger equation and its higher order extensions are routinely used for analysis of extreme ocean waves. This paper compares the evolution of individual wave-packets modelled using non-linear Schrödinger type equations with packets modelled using fully non-linear potential flow models. The modified non-linear Schrödinger Equation accurately models the relatively large scale non-linear changes to the shape of wave-groups, with a dramatic contraction of the group along the mean propagation direction and a corresponding extension of the width of the wave-crests. In addition, as extreme wave form, there is a local non-linear contraction of the wave-group around the crest which leads to a localised broadening of the wave spectrum which the bandwidth limited non-linear Schrödinger Equations struggle to capture. This limitation occurs for waves of moderate steepness and a narrow underlying spectrum.

A circuit-based technique enhances the power output of electrostatic generators employing an array of axially oriented rods or tubes or azimuthal corrugated metal surfaces for their electrodes. During generator operation, the peak voltage across the electrodes occurs at an azimuthal position that is intermediate between the position of minimum gap and maximum gap. If this position is also close to the azimuthal angle where the rate of change of capacity is a maximum, then the highest rf power output possible for a given maximum allowable voltage at the minimum gap can be attained. This rf power output is then coupled to the generator load through a coupling condenser that prevents suppression of the dc charging potential by conduction through the load. Optimized circuit values produce phase shifts in the rf output voltage that allow higher power output to occur at the same voltage limit at the minimum gap position.

The three-dimensional morphology of bone arises through adaptation to its required engineering performance. Genetically and adaptively bone travels along a complex spatiotemporal trajectory to acquire optimal architecture. On a cellular, micro-anatomical scale, what mechanisms coordinate the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts to produce complex and efficient bone architectures? One mechanism is examined here – chaotic non-linear pattern formation (NPF) – which underlies in a unifying way natural structures as disparate as trabecular bone, swarms of birds flying, island formation, fluid turbulence, and others. At the heart of NPF is the fact that simple rules operating between interacting elements, and Turing-like interaction between global and local signals, lead to complex and structured patterns. The study of “group intelligence” exhibited by swarming birds or shoaling fish has led to an embodiment of NPF called “particle swarm optimization” (PSO). This theoretical model could be applicable to the behavior of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes, seeing them operating “socially” in response simultaneously to both global and local signals (endocrine, cytokine, mechanical), resulting in their clustered activity at formation and resorption sites. This represents problem-solving by social intelligence, and could potentially add further realism to in silico computer simulation of bone modeling. What insights has NPF provided to bone biology? One example concerns the genetic disorder juvenile Pagets disease or idiopathic hyperphosphatasia, where the anomalous parallel trabecular architecture characteristic of this pathology is consistent with an NPF paradigm by analogy with known experimental NPF systems. Here, coupling or “feedback” between osteoblasts and osteoclasts is the critical element. This NPF paradigm implies a profound link between bone regulation and its architecture: in bone the architecture is the regulation. The former is the

Living polymers are formed by reversible association of primary units (unimers). Generally the chain statistical weight involves a factor σ < 1 suppressing short chains in comparison with free unimers. Living polymerization is a sharp thermodynamic transition for σ ≪ 1 which is typically the case. We show that this sharpness has an important effect on the kinetics of living polymerization (one-dimensional association). The kinetic model involves i) the unimer activation step (a transition to an assembly-competent state); ii) the scission/recombination processes providing growth of polymer chains and relaxation of their length distribution. Analyzing the polymerization with no chains but unimers at t = 0 , with initial concentration of unimers M ≳ M* (M* is the critical polymerization concentration), we determine the time evolution of the chain length distribution and find that: 1) for M* ≪ M ≪ M*/σ the kinetics is characterized by 5 distinct time stages demarcated by 4 characteristic times t1, t2, t3 and t*; 2) there are transient regimes (t1 ≲ t ≲ t3) when the molecular-weight distribution is strongly non-exponential; 3) the chain scissions are negligible at times shorter than t2. The chain growth is auto-accelerated for t1 ≲ t ≲ t2 : the cut-off chain length (= polymerization degree w N1 ∝ t2 in this regime. 4) For t2 < t < t3 the length distribution is characterized by essentially 2 non-linear modes; the shorter cut-off length N1 is decreasing with time in this regime, while the length scale N2 of the second mode is increasing. (5) The terminal relaxation time of the polymer length distribution, t*, shows a sharp maximum in the vicinity of M*; the effective exponent {frac{{partialln1/t*}}{{partialln M}}} is as high as ˜ σ-1/3 just above M*.

The three-dimensional morphology of bone arises through adaptation to its required engineering performance. Genetically and adaptively bone travels along a complex spatiotemporal trajectory to acquire optimal architecture. On a cellular, micro-anatomical scale, what mechanisms coordinate the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts to produce complex and efficient bone architectures? One mechanism is examined here - chaotic non-linear pattern formation (NPF) - which underlies in a unifying way natural structures as disparate as trabecular bone, swarms of birds flying, island formation, fluid turbulence, and others. At the heart of NPF is the fact that simple rules operating between interacting elements, and Turing-like interaction between global and local signals, lead to complex and structured patterns. The study of "group intelligence" exhibited by swarming birds or shoaling fish has led to an embodiment of NPF called "particle swarm optimization" (PSO). This theoretical model could be applicable to the behavior of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes, seeing them operating "socially" in response simultaneously to both global and local signals (endocrine, cytokine, mechanical), resulting in their clustered activity at formation and resorption sites. This represents problem-solving by social intelligence, and could potentially add further realism to in silico computer simulation of bone modeling. What insights has NPF provided to bone biology? One example concerns the genetic disorder juvenile Pagets disease or idiopathic hyperphosphatasia, where the anomalous parallel trabecular architecture characteristic of this pathology is consistent with an NPF paradigm by analogy with known experimental NPF systems. Here, coupling or "feedback" between osteoblasts and osteoclasts is the critical element. This NPF paradigm implies a profound link between bone regulation and its architecture: in bone the architecture is the regulation. The former is the emergent

A simple theory is devised to describe the non-linear feedback mechanisms involved in the initial growth of a single diapir or plume head from a low viscosity channel overlain by a much more viscous layer. Such feedbacks arise primarily from the relation between the growth of a proto-diapir (i.e. an undulation on the upper boundary of the low viscosity channel) and the draining of the low viscosity channel. In the period of time between its initial exponential growth (characterized by linear stability analysis) and its separation from the low viscosity channel as a fully formed diapir, the proto-diapir can undergo a significant cessation in its development due to deflation of the low viscosity channel; i.e. the proto-diapir's growth can essentially stall for a long period of time before it separates and begins its ascent through the overlying medium. The theory is used to determine a criterion for separation of the diapir from the low viscosity channel that is in terms of the geometrical and mechanical properties of the channel, instead of the ad hoc volume flux widely used in many models of mantle plumes and plume heads (e.g. Whitehead and Luther, 1975; Richards et al., 1989; Olson, 1990; Sleep, 1990; Bercovici and Mahoney, 1994). From this separation criterion, self-consistent scaling laws can be formulated to relate the size of the fully developed diapir and its trailing conduit to the properties of the initial channel, instead of to the ad hoc volume flux. Basic laboratory experiments involving highly viscous fluids are presented and demonstrate that the so-called 'stalling' period between initial growth and separation does indeed occur. These results suggest that nascent mantle plume heads may stall for extended periods at the base of the mantle and thereby contribute to variations in thickness of the D″ layer.

A model of ordering applicable to biological evolution is presented. It is shown that a steady state (more precisely approaching to a steady state) system of irreversible processes, under conditions of disproportionation of entropy, produces a lower-entropy product, that is, ordering. The ordering is defined as restricting of degrees of freedom: freedom of motion, interactions etc. The model differs from previous ones in that it relates the ordering to processes running not far from equilibrium, described in the linear field of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. It is shown that a system, which includes adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) conversion meets the demands of the physical model: it provides energy maintaining steady state conditions, and hydrolysis of ATP proceeding with consumption of water can be tightly conjugated with the most important reactions of synthesis of organic polymers (peptides, nucleotide chains etc.), which proceed with release of water. For these and other reasons ATP seems to be a key molecule of prebiotic evolution. It is argued that the elementary chemical reaction proceeding under control of an enzyme is not necessarily far from equilibrium. The experimental evidence supporting this idea, is presented. It is based on isotope data. Carbon isotope distribution in biochemical systems reveals regularity, which is inherent to steady state systems of chemical reactions, proceeding not far from equilibrium. In living organisms this feature appears at the statistical level, as many completely irreversible and non-linear processes occur in organisms. However not-far-from-equilibrium reactions are inherent to biochemical systems as a matter of principle. They are reconcilable with biochemical behavior. Extant organisms are highly evolved entities which, however, show in their basis the same features, as the simplest chemical systems must have had been involved in the origin of life. Some consequences following from the

A fast and efficient method to simulate multivariate fields with non-linear models of coregionalization (N-LMC) is described. The method generalizes FFTMA to the multivariate simulation of the N-LMC with symmetric cross-covariances, hence the name GFFTMA. It allows us for example to use an exponential model as the direct covariance for the main variable, a Cauchy model for the secondary variable and a K-Bessel model for the cross-covariance. Each covariance and cross-covariance are Fast Fourier Transformed (FFT) to get the discrete spectral densities. Then the spectral matrix is eigen-decomposed at each frequency separately to provide the square root matrix and to enforce positive-definiteness in cases where small negative eigenvalues are found. Finally the simulated spectrum is obtained as multiplication of the root matrix and the white noise coefficients. The method is particularly fast for covariances having derivatives at the origin and/or for covariances with long range. Hence, two-variables' 2D fields of 100 million pixels with all-Gaussian or all-cubic covariances and cross-covariance are both simulated in less than 200 s. The CPU-time increases only as N log(N) (N, the number of points to simulate). Additional realizations are obtained at a low marginal cost as the eigen-decomposition step needs to be done only once for the first realization. The main limitation of the approach is its rather stringent memory requirement. Synthetic examples illustrate the simulations of N-LMC with two and three variables for different combinations of the seven available models. It shows that the theoretical models are all well reproduced. An illustrative case-study on overburden thickness simulation is provided where the secondary information consists of a latent Gaussian variable identifying the geological domain.

The performance of plasma streamwise vortex generators (PSVG) based on a dielectric barrier discharge is characterized experimentally. A PSVG array is flush mounted on a turbulent boundary layer development plate, which allows control of the flow conditions upstream. The performance of the PSVG is characterized by nonintrusive flow field measurements utilizing both LDV and PIV. The primary metric for characterizing the performance of the PSVG is the magnitude of streamwise vorticity produced. Through a series of experiments the influence of applied voltage, length of surface electrode, inter-electrode spacing, electrode geometry, yaw angle to the oncoming flow and Reynolds number on PSVG performance is documented. The results are compared to passive vortex generators under comparable flow conditions.

We report, for the first time, the generation of high-order harmonics in a spectral range between 200 eV and 1 keV with an unusual spectral property: only every 4th (4i + 1, i∈ℵ) harmonic line appears, whereas the usual high-harmonic spectra consist of every odd (2i + 1) harmonic. We attribute this unique property to the quantum path interference of two extended electron trajectories that experience multiple re-scattering. In the well-established theory, electrons emitted via tunnel ionisation are accelerated by a laser field, return to the ion and recombine. The acceleration typically lasts for less than one optical cycle, and the electrons radiate in the extreme ultraviolet range at recombination. In contrast, for extended trajectories, electrons are accelerated over two or more optical cycles. Here, we demonstrate that two sets of trajectories dominate and provide substantial contributions to the generated soft X-ray radiation because they fulfil the resonance condition for X-ray parametric amplification. PMID:24577220

We study the wall slip of aqueous foams with a high liquid content. We use a set-up where, driven by buoyancy, a foam creeps along an inclined smooth solid wall which is immersed in the foaming solution. This configuration allows the force driving the bubble motion and the bubble confinement in the vicinity of the wall to be tuned independently. First, we consider bubble monolayers with small Bond number Bo < 1 and measure the relation between the friction force F and the bubble velocity V. For bubbles which are so small that they are almost spherical, the friction law F ∝ V is Stokes-like. The analysis shows that the minimal thickness of the lubricating contact between the bubble and the wall is governed by DLVO long-range forces. Our results are the first evidence of this predicted linear friction regime for creeping bubbles. Due to buoyancy, large bubbles flatten against the wall. In this case, dissipation arises because of viscous flow in the dynamic meniscus between the contact film and the spherical part of the bubble. It leads to a non-linear Bretherton-like friction law F ∝ V(2/3), as expected for slipping bubbles with mobile liquid-gas interfaces. The Stokes-like friction dominates for capillary numbers Ca larger than the crossover value Ca* ∼ Bo(3/2). The overall friction force can be expressed as the sum of these two contributions. On this basis, we then study 3D foams close to the jamming transition with osmotic pressures Π small compared to the capillary pressure Pc. We measure the wall shear stress τ as a function of the capillary number, and we evidence two friction regimes that are consistent with those found for the monolayer. Similarly to this latter case, the total shear stress can be expressed as the sum of the Stokes-like friction term τ ∝ Ca and the Bretherton-like one τ ∝ Ca(2/3). However, for a 3D foam, the crossover at a capillary number Ca** between both regimes is governed by the ratio of the osmotic pressure to the

Soil-plant systems are open systems thermodynamically because they exchange both energy and matter with their surroundings. Thus they are properly described by the second and third of the three stages of thermodynamics defined by Prigogine and Stengers (1984). The second stage describes a system in which the flow is linearly related to the force. Such a system tends towards a steady state in which entropy production is minimized, but it depends on the capacity of the system for self-organization. In a third stage system, flow is non-linearly related to force, and the system can move far from equilibrium. This system maximizes entropy production but in so doing facilitates self-organization. The second stage system was suggested earlier to provide a useful analogue of the behaviour of natural and agricultural ecosystems subjected to perturbations, but it needs the capacity for self-organization. Considering an ecosystem as a hierarchy suggests this capacity is provided by the soil population, which releases from dead plant matter nutrients such as nitrate, phosphate and captions needed for growth of new plants and the renewal of the whole ecosystem. This release of small molecules from macromolecules increases entropy, and the soil population maximizes entropy production by releasing nutrients and carbon dioxide as vigorously as conditions allow. In so doing it behaves as a third stage thermodynamic system. Other authors (Schneider and Kay, 1994, 1995) consider that it is in the plants in an ecosystem that maximize entropy, mainly through transpiration, but studies on transpiration efficiency suggest that this is questionable. Prigogine, I. & Stengers, I. 1984. Order out of chaos. Bantam Books, Toronto. Schneider, E.D. & Kay, J.J. 1994. Life as a manifestation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Mathematical & Computer Modelling, 19, 25-48. Schneider, E.D. & Kay, J.J. 1995. Order from disorder: The Thermodynamics of Complexity in Biology. In: What is Life: the Next

A single-particle theory of the evolution of the harmonic content of a bunched beam in a relativistic optical klystron is reported. The equations of motion of the electrons in the dispersive-magnetic-drift space are solved analytically, including the effects of the energy and angular spreads of the beam. The theory enables one to predict the optical efficiency of a coherent relativistic scatterer designed for the generation of the third harmonics of the charge density wave (lambda(sc) = 1766 A) induced on the electron beam of the Frascati storage ring, Adone, with gamma = 1200. PMID:19710862

Unsteady natural convection of a heat-generating fluid with phase transitions in the enclosures of a square section with isothermal rigid walls is investigated numerically for a wide range of dimensionless parameters. The quasisteady state solutions of conjugate heat and mass transfer problem are compared with available experimental results. Correlation relations for heat flux distributions at the domain boundaries depending on Rayleigh and Ostrogradskii numbers are obtained. It is shown that generally heat transfer is governed both by natural circulation and crust formation phenomena. Results of this paper may be used for analysis of experiments with prototypic core materials.

-output relationships exist when runoff is dominantly generated from the permanently wet riparian zones. In contrast, the freely draining hillslope soils show larger dynamic storage changes, and non-linear runoff generation processes can be related to temporary high soil wetness on the hillslopes. However, vegetation impacts are limited and the isotope data suggest that there is no strong evidence for the formation of two different ecohydrological subsurface water stores for either soil types at any time. Such contrasting results in relation to those of previous studies might be attributed to the overall relatively high subsurface storage, and the area's radiation energy-limited climate that lacks overall strong seasonality in high precipitation inputs. The results therefore suggest that the formation of different subsurface water stores might depend on thresholds in the water-energy balance, and as such depend on geographic and climatic conditions.

Modern flow cytometry instruments have become vital tools for high-throughput analysis of single cells. However, as issues with the cellular labeling techniques often used in flow cytometry have become more of a concern, the development of label-free modalities for cellular analysis is increasingly desired. Non-linear optical phenomena (NLO) are of growing interest for label-free analysis because of the ability to measure the intrinsic optical response of biomolecules found in cells. We demonstrate that a light-sheet consisting of a scanned Bessel beam is an optimal excitation geometry for efficiently generating NLO signals in a microfluidic environment. The balance of photon density and cross-sectional area provided by the light-sheet allowed significantly larger two-photon fluorescence intensities to be measured in a model polystyrene microparticle system compared to measurements made using other excitation focal geometries, including a relaxed Gaussian excitation beam often used in conventional flow cytometers. PMID:26021750

Non-linear microscopy has the potential to provide clinically useful information on the structure of biological tissue in vivo via an endomicroscope. The ability to use plastic as the optical material in a multiphoton objective was evaluated based on several criteria including autofluorescence, injection molding induced birefringence, and pulse broadening due to group velocity dispersion. An all-plastic, refractive ultra-slim endoscope objective was built with design specifications of NA = 0.4, FOV = 250 μm, 1.27 mm outer diameter, and 0.8 mm clear aperture. Initial images of second-harmonic generation signal (illumination at 780 nm) in collagen fibers and two-photon excited fluorescence (illumination at 920 nm) of Convallaria rhizome are reported. PMID:21503069

Palladium nanoparticles with average size 11.3 nm have been synthesized via a one-step reduction and capping method. This colloidal route using tannic acid does not require any other surfactant or capping agent to direct the growth of palladium nanoparticles. The effect of temperature on the conversion of Pd(2+) ion to Pd(0) is investigated. The growth process of nanoparticles is monitored using UV-visible spectra. The morphology and phase transformation have been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. An attempt to reveal the capping mechanism of tannic acid is done through FTIR analysis. The optical non-linearity of the samples was studied using open aperture Z-scan technique. The significance of this protocol for the generation of environmentally benign palladium nanoparticles lies mainly in its simplicity and cost effectiveness. PMID:23257340

This article presents the first computation of the complete bispectrum of the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies arising from the evolution of all cosmic fluids up to second order, including neutrinos. Gravitational couplings, electron density fluctuations and the second order Boltzmann equation are fully taken into account. Comparison to limiting cases that appeared previously in the literature are provided. These are regimes for which analytical insights can be given. The final results are expressed in terms of equivalent f{sub NL} for different configurations. It is found that for moments up to l{sub max} = 2000, the signal generated by non-linear effects is equivalent to f{sub NL} ≅ 5 for both local-type and equilateral-type primordial non-Gaussianity.

We examine the propagation of squeezed light, in Laguerre-Gaussian spatial modes, through a non-linear medium such as Rb vapor. We examine the quantum states in varies spatial modes. We simulate the injection into a Rb vapor cell a linearly polarized laser beam to create squeezed vacuum state of light linearly polarized in the perpendicular direction. We fully quantize the optical field's propagation which is based on previous semi-classical calculation. The Rb atomic structure is simplified to a three-level system. We reveal the mechanism that how squeezed state of light is generated in this process and compare the theory with our experiment. Further, we simulate and compare the different squeezing that can be achieved due to the change of parameters or altering experimental setups, such as multiple passing of the beam through the Rb vapor cell.

Modern flow cytometry instruments have become vital tools for high-throughput analysis of single cells. However, as issues with the cellular labeling techniques often used in flow cytometry have become more of a concern, the development of label-free modalities for cellular analysis is increasingly desired. Non-linear optical phenomena (NLO) are of growing interest for label-free analysis because of the ability to measure the intrinsic optical response of biomolecules found in cells. We demonstrate that a light-sheet consisting of a scanned Bessel beam is an optimal excitation geometry for efficiently generating NLO signals in a microfluidic environment. The balance of photon density and cross-sectional area provided by the light-sheet allowed significantly larger two-photon fluorescence intensities to be measured in a model polystyrene microparticle system compared to measurements made using other excitation focal geometries, including a relaxed Gaussian excitation beam often used in conventional flow cytometers. PMID:26021750

The synthesis, crystal growth and non-linear optical (NLO) property of new chalcone derivatives are reported. 4-Propyloxy and 4-butoxy benzaldehydes were made to under go Claisen-Schmidt condensation with 4-methoxy, 4-nitro and 4-phenoxy acetophenones to form corresponding chalcones. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by analytical and spectral data. The Second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of these compounds was measured by powder technique using Nd:YAG laser. Among tested compounds three chalcones showed NLO property. The chalcone 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-propyloxy phenyl)-2-propen-1-one exhibited SHG conversion efficiency 2.7 times that of urea. The bulk crystal of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-butoxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-one (crystal size 65×28×15 mm 3) was grown by slow-evaporation technique from acetone. Microhardness of the crystal was tested by Vicker's microhardness method.

A local system of bodies in General Relativity whose exterior metric field asymptotically approaches the Minkowski metric effaces any effects of the matter distribution exterior to its Minkowski boundary condition. To enforce to all orders this property of gravity which appears to hold in nature, a method using linear algebraic scaling equations is developed which generates by an iterative process an N-body Lagrangian expansion for gravity's motion-independent potentials which fulfills exterior effacement along with needed metric potential expansions. Then additional properties of gravity - interior effacement and Lorentz time dilation and spatial contraction - produce additional iterative, linear algebraic equations for obtaining the full non-linear and motion-dependent N-body gravity Lagrangian potentials as well.

We present the experimental observation of localized parallel parametricgeneration of spin waves in a transversally in-plane magnetized Ni{sub 81}Fe{sub 19} magnonic waveguide. The localization is realized by combining the threshold character of parametricgeneration with a spatially confined enhancement of the amplifying microwave field. The latter is achieved by modulating the width of the microstrip transmission line which is used to provide the pumping field. By employing microfocussed Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, we analyze the spatial distribution of the generated spin waves and compare it with numerical calculations of the field distribution along the Ni{sub 81}Fe{sub 19} waveguide. This provides a local spin-wave excitation in transversally in-plane magnetized waveguides for a wide wave-vector range which is not restricted by the size of the generation area.

Multimode squeezed states are essential resources in quantum information processing and quantum metrology with continuous variables. Here we present the experimental generation of squeezed vacuum via the degenerate four wave mixing realized by pumping a piece of dispersion shifted fiber with mode-locked ultrafast pulse trains. The noise fluctuation is lower than the shot noise limit by 1.1 ± 0.08 dB (1.95 ± 0.17 dB after correction for detection losses). The detailed investigation illustrates that the results can be further improved by suppressing Raman scattering and by reshaping the spectrum of the local oscillator to achieve the required mode-matching of the homodyne detection system. Our study is useful for developing a compact fiber source of multi-mode squeezed vacuum. PMID:26906788

Improving the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil is one of the primary interests of the Aerodynamicists. Such performance improvement can be achieved using passive or active flow control devices. One of such passive devices having a compact size along with an effective performance is the Micro Vortex Generators (MVGs). A special type of MVGs, which has been recently introduced in the aerospace industry, is "Triangular Shape" MVGs and its impact on aerodynamic characteristics is the main interest of this study. This study will compare the effects of various configurations through which delay of the flow separation using boundary layer control will be analysed by experimental and theoretical approach. The experimental investigations have been conducted using subsonic wind tunnel and the theoretical analysis using ANSYS® 13.0 FLUENT of which the final results are compared with each other.

Large complex aerospace systems are generally validated in regions local to anticipated operating points rather than through characterization of the entire feasible operational envelope of the system. This is due to the large parameter space, and complex, highly coupled nonlinear nature of the different systems that contribute to the performance of the aerospace system. We have addressed the factors deterring such an analysis by applying a combination of technologies to the area of flight envelop assessment. We utilize n-factor (2,3) combinatorial parameter variations to limit the number of cases, but still explore important interactions in the parameter space in a systematic fashion. The data generated is automatically analyzed through a combination of unsupervised learning using a Bayesian multivariate clustering technique (AutoBayes) and supervised learning of critical parameter ranges using the machine-learning tool TAR3, a treatment learner. Covariance analysis with scatter plots and likelihood contours are used to visualize correlations between simulation parameters and simulation results, a task that requires tool support, especially for large and complex models. We present results of simulation experiments for a cold-gas-powered hover test vehicle.

We report the experimental demonstration of the optical parametric gain generation in the 1 μm regime based on a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a zero group velocity dispersion (GVD) wavelength of 1062 nm pumped by a homemade tunable picosecond mode-locked ytterbium-doped fiber laser. A broad parametric gain band is obtained by pumping the PCF in the anomalous GVD regime with a relatively low power. Two separated narrow parametric gain bands are observed by pumping the PCF in the normal GVD regime. The peak of the parametric gain profile can be tuned from 927 to 1038 nm and from 1099 to 1228 nm. This widely tunable parametric gain band can be used for a broad band optical parametric amplifier, large span wavelength conversion or a tunable optical parametric oscillator.

In this present paper, we have discussed the effects of viscous dissipation and thermal radiation on heat transfer over a non-linear stretching sheet through a porous medium. Usual similarity transformations are considered to convert the non-linear partial differential equation of motion and heat transfer into ODE's. Solutions of motion and heat transfer are obtained by the Runge-Kutta integration scheme with most efficient shooting technique. The graphical results are presented to interpret various physical parameters of interest. It is found that the velocity profile decreases with an increase of the porous parameter asymptotically. The temperature field decreases with an increase in the parametric values of the Prandtl number and thermal radiation while with an increase in parameters of the Eckert number and porous parameter, the temperature field increases in both PST (power law surface temperature) and PHF (power law heat flux) cases. The numerical values of the non-dimensional wall temperature gradient and wall temperature are tabulated and discussed.

The scope of this work is to investigate the non-linear dynamics of the electro-hydrodynamic instability of a bilayer of immiscible liquids. We consider the case of two viscous films which is separated from the top electrode by air. We assume that the liquids are perfect dielectrics and consider the case of both flat and patterned electrodes. We develop a computational model using the diffuse interface method and carry out 3D numerical simulations fully accounting for the flow and electric field in all phases. We perform a parametric study and investigate the influence of the electric properties of fluids, applied voltage and various geometrical characteristics of the mask. The authors acknowledge the support by the General Secretariat of Research and Technology of Greece under the action ``Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers'' (Grant Number PE8/906), co-funded by the European Social Fund and National Resources.

Equine articular cartilage has been imaged using both polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) and non-linear microscopy. PS-OCT has been used to spatially map the birefringence in the cartilage and we have found that in the vicinity of the lesion the images display a characteristic disruption in the regular birefringence bands shown by normal cartilage. We also note that significant (e.g. x2) variations in the apparent birefringence of samples taken from young (18 month) animals that otherwise appear visually homogeneous are found over spatial scales of a few millimeters. We have also imaged the cartilage using non-linear microscopy and compare the scans taken with second harmonic generation (SHG) light and the two photon fluorescence (TPF) light. SHG images collected using 800 nm excitation reveals the spatial distribution of collagen fibers, whilst TPF images clearly shows the distribution of intracellular and pericellular fluorophores.

We present an highly efficient all-fiber compact supercontinuum source that exhibits a nearly flat spectrum from 1.1 μm to 2.1 μm. This broadband infrared optical source is made-up of a highly non-linear fiber pumped by a 1.55 μm self-Q-switched Er-Brillouin nanosecond pulsed fiber laser, which in turn is pumped by a low-power 1480 nm laser diode. In this work we highlight the great potential of highly non-linear fiber for supercontinuum generation with respect to conventional dispersion-shifted fiber by demonstrating a significant 10 dB power enhancement in the short wavelength side of the supercontinuum.

Accurate modelling of non-linearities in the galaxy bispectrum, the Fourier transform of the galaxy three-point correlation function, is essential to fully exploit it as a cosmological probe. In this paper, we present numerical and theoretical challenges in modelling the non-linear bispectrum. First, we test the robustness of the matter bispectrum measured from N-body simulations using different initial conditions generators. We run a suite of N-body simulations using the Zel'dovich approximation and second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT) at different starting redshifts, and find that transients from initial decaying modes systematically reduce the non-linearities in the matter bispectrum. To achieve 1 per cent accuracy in the matter bispectrum at z ≤ 3 on scales k < 1 h Mpc-1, 2LPT initial conditions generator with initial redshift z ≳ 100 is required. We then compare various analytical formulas and empirical fitting functions for modelling the non-linear matter bispectrum, and discuss the regimes for which each is valid. We find that the next-to-leading order (one-loop) correction from standard perturbation theory matches with N-body results on quasi-linear scales for z ≥ 1. We find that the fitting formula in Gil-Marín et al. accurately predicts the matter bispectrum for z ≤ 1 on a wide range of scales, but at higher redshifts, the fitting formula given in Scoccimarro & Couchman gives the best agreement with measurements from N-body simulations.

Predictive multiple suppression methods consist of two main steps: a prediction step, during which multiples are predicted from seismic data, and a primary-multiple separation step, during which the predicted multiples are `matched' with the true multiples in the data and subsequently removed. This second separation step, which we will call the estimation step, is crucial in practice: an incorrect separation will cause residual multiple energy in the result or may lead to a distortion of the primaries, or both. To reduce these adverse effects, a new transformed-domain method is proposed where primaries and multiples are separated rather than matched. This separation is carried out on the basis of differences in the multiscale and multidirectional characteristics of these two signal components. Our method uses the curvelet transform, which maps multidimensional data volumes into almost orthogonal localized multidimensional prototype waveforms that vary in directional and spatio-temporal content. Primaries-only and multiples-only signal components are recovered from the total data volume by a non-linear optimization scheme that is stable under noisy input data. During the optimization, the two signal components are separated by enhancing sparseness (through weighted l1-norms) in the transformed domain subject to fitting the observed data as the sum of the separated components to within a user-defined tolerance level. Whenever, during the optimization, the estimates for the primaries in the transformed domain correlate with the predictions for the multiples, the recovery of the coefficients for the estimated primaries will be suppressed while for regions where the correlation is small the method seeks the sparsest set of coefficients that represent the estimation for the primaries. Our algorithm does not seek a matched filter and as such it differs fundamentally from traditional adaptive subtraction methods. The method derives its stability from the sparseness

For the first time we report the results of both numerical simulation and experimental observation of second-harmonic generation as an example of non-linear frequency conversion of pulses generated by passively mode-locked fiber master oscillator in different regimes including conventional (stable) and double-scale (partially coherent and noise-like) ones. We show that non-linear frequency conversion efficiency of double-scale pulses is slightly higher than that of conventional picosecond laser pulses with the same energy and duration despite strong phase fluctuations of double-scale pulses. PMID:24515065

It is proven that the model of the p53-mdm2 protein synthesis loop is a differentially flat one and using a diffeomorphism (change of state variables) that is proposed by differential flatness theory it is shown that the protein synthesis model can be transformed into the canonical (Brunovsky) form. This enables the design of a feedback control law that maintains the concentration of the p53 protein at the desirable levels. To estimate the non-measurable elements of the state vector describing the p53-mdm2 system dynamics, the derivative-free non-linear Kalman filter is used. Moreover, to compensate for modelling uncertainties and external disturbances that affect the p53-mdm2 system, the derivative-free non-linear Kalman filter is re-designed as a disturbance observer. The derivative-free non-linear Kalman filter consists of the Kalman filter recursion applied on the linearised equivalent of the protein synthesis model together with an inverse transformation based on differential flatness theory that enables to retrieve estimates for the state variables of the initial non-linear model. The proposed non-linear feedback control and perturbations compensation method for the p53-mdm2 system can result in more efficient chemotherapy schemes where the infusion of medication will be better administered. PMID:27187988

Strong non-linear interactions between photons enable logic operations for both classical and quantum-information technology. Unfortunately, non-linear interactions are usually feeble and therefore all-optical logic gates tend to be inefficient. A quantum emitter deterministically coupled to a propagating mode fundamentally changes the situation, since each photon inevitably interacts with the emitter, and highly correlated many-photon states may be created. Here we show that a single quantum dot in a photonic-crystal waveguide can be used as a giant non-linearity sensitive at the single-photon level. The non-linear response is revealed from the intensity and quantum statistics of the scattered photons, and contains contributions from an entangled photon–photon bound state. The quantum non-linearity will find immediate applications for deterministic Bell-state measurements and single-photon transistors and paves the way to scalable waveguide-based photonic quantum-computing architectures. PMID:26492951

Strong non-linear interactions between photons enable logic operations for both classical and quantum-information technology. Unfortunately, non-linear interactions are usually feeble and therefore all-optical logic gates tend to be inefficient. A quantum emitter deterministically coupled to a propagating mode fundamentally changes the situation, since each photon inevitably interacts with the emitter, and highly correlated many-photon states may be created. Here we show that a single quantum dot in a photonic-crystal waveguide can be used as a giant non-linearity sensitive at the single-photon level. The non-linear response is revealed from the intensity and quantum statistics of the scattered photons, and contains contributions from an entangled photon-photon bound state. The quantum non-linearity will find immediate applications for deterministic Bell-state measurements and single-photon transistors and paves the way to scalable waveguide-based photonic quantum-computing architectures. PMID:26492951

Geodynamic problems are inherently non-linear, with sources of non-inearities arising from the (i) rheology, (ii) boundary conditions and (iii) the choice of time integration scheme. We have developed a robust non-linear scheme utilizing PETSc's non-linear solver framework; SNES. Through the SNES framework, we have access to a wide range of globalization techniques. In this work we extensively use line search implementation. We explored a wide range different strategies for solving a variety of non-linear problems specific to geodynamics. In this presentation, we report of the most robust line-searching techniques which we have found for the three classes of non-linearities previously identified. Among the class of rheological non-linearities, the shear banding instability using visco-plastic flow rules is the most difficult to solve. Distinctively from its sibling, the elasto-plastic rheology, the visco-plastic rheology causes instantaneous shear localisation. As a results, decreasing time-stepping is not a viable approach to better capture the initial phase of localisation. Furthermore, return map algorithms based on a consistent tangent cannot be used as the slope of the tangent is infinite. Obtaining a converged non-linear solution to this problem only relies on the robustness non-linear solver. After presenting a Newton methodology suitable for rheological non-linearities, we examine the performance of this formulation when frictional sliding boundary conditions are introduced. We assess the robustness of the non-linear solver when applied to critical taper type problems.

Assessing disease activity is a prerequisite for an adequate treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition to endoscopic mucosal healing, histologic remission poses a promising end-point of IBD therapy. However, evaluating histological remission harbors the risk for complications due to the acquisition of biopsies and results in a delay of diagnosis because of tissue processing procedures. In this regard, non-linear multimodal imaging techniques might serve as an unparalleled technique that allows the real-time evaluation of microscopic IBD activity in the endoscopy unit. In this study, tissue sections were investigated using the non-linear multimodal microscopy combination of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), two-photon excited auto fluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG). After the measurement a gold-standard assessment of histological indexes was carried out based on a conventional H&E stain. Subsequently, various geometry and intensity related features were extracted from the multimodal images. An optimized feature set was utilized to predict histological index levels based on a linear classifier. Based on the automated prediction, the diagnosis time interval is decreased. Therefore, non-linear multimodal imaging may provide a real-time diagnosis of IBD activity suited to assist clinical decision making within the endoscopy unit. PMID:27406831

Assessing disease activity is a prerequisite for an adequate treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition to endoscopic mucosal healing, histologic remission poses a promising end-point of IBD therapy. However, evaluating histological remission harbors the risk for complications due to the acquisition of biopsies and results in a delay of diagnosis because of tissue processing procedures. In this regard, non-linear multimodal imaging techniques might serve as an unparalleled technique that allows the real-time evaluation of microscopic IBD activity in the endoscopy unit. In this study, tissue sections were investigated using the non-linear multimodal microscopy combination of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), two-photon excited auto fluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG). After the measurement a gold-standard assessment of histological indexes was carried out based on a conventional H&E stain. Subsequently, various geometry and intensity related features were extracted from the multimodal images. An optimized feature set was utilized to predict histological index levels based on a linear classifier. Based on the automated prediction, the diagnosis time interval is decreased. Therefore, non-linear multimodal imaging may provide a real-time diagnosis of IBD activity suited to assist clinical decision making within the endoscopy unit.

Assessing disease activity is a prerequisite for an adequate treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition to endoscopic mucosal healing, histologic remission poses a promising end-point of IBD therapy. However, evaluating histological remission harbors the risk for complications due to the acquisition of biopsies and results in a delay of diagnosis because of tissue processing procedures. In this regard, non-linear multimodal imaging techniques might serve as an unparalleled technique that allows the real-time evaluation of microscopic IBD activity in the endoscopy unit. In this study, tissue sections were investigated using the non-linear multimodal microscopy combination of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), two-photon excited auto fluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG). After the measurement a gold-standard assessment of histological indexes was carried out based on a conventional H&E stain. Subsequently, various geometry and intensity related features were extracted from the multimodal images. An optimized feature set was utilized to predict histological index levels based on a linear classifier. Based on the automated prediction, the diagnosis time interval is decreased. Therefore, non-linear multimodal imaging may provide a real-time diagnosis of IBD activity suited to assist clinical decision making within the endoscopy unit. PMID:27406831

This study utilizes two non-linear approaches to characterize model behavior of earthquake dynamics in the crucial tectonic regions of Northeast India (NEI). In particular, we have applied a (i) non-linear forecasting technique to assess the dimensionality of the earthquake-generating mechanism using the monthly frequency earthquake time series (magnitude ⩾4) obtained from NOAA and USGS catalogues for the period 1960-2003 and (ii) artificial neural network (ANN) methods—based on the back-propagation algorithm (BPA) to construct the neural network model of the same data set for comparing the two. We have constructed a multilayered feed forward ANN model with an optimum input set configuration specially designed to take advantage of more completely on the intrinsic relationships among the input and retrieved variables and arrive at the feasible model for earthquake prediction. The comparative analyses show that the results obtained by the two methods are stable and in good agreement and signify that the optimal embedding dimension obtained from the non-linear forecasting analysis compares well with the optimal number of inputs used for the neural networks. The constructed model suggests that the earthquake dynamics in the NEI region can be characterized by a high-dimensional chaotic plane. Evidence of high-dimensional chaos appears to be associated with "stochastic seasonal" bias in these regions and would provide some useful constraints for testing the model and criteria to assess earthquake hazards on a more rigorous and quantitative basis.

For high-precision motion systems, modelling and control design specifically oriented at friction effects is instrumental. The sinusoidal input describing function theory represents an approximative mathematical framework for analysing non-linear system behaviour. This theory, however, limits the description of the non-linear system behaviour to a quasi-linear amplitude-dependent relation between sinusoidal excitation and sinusoidal response. In this paper, an extension to higher-order describing functions is realised by introducing the concept of the harmonics generator. The resulting higher-order sinusoidal input describing functions (HOSIDFs) relate the magnitude and phase of the higher harmonics of the periodic response of the system to the magnitude and phase of a sinusoidal excitation. Based on this extension two techniques to measure HOSIDFs are presented. The first technique is FFT based. The second technique is based on IQ (in-phase/quadrature-phase) demodulation. In a simulation, the measurement techniques have been tested by comparing the simulation results to analytically derived results from a known (backlash) non-linearity. In a subsequent practical case study both techniques are used to measure the changes in dynamic behaviour as a function of drive level due to friction in an electric motor. Both methods prove successful for measuring HOSIDFs.

We present a Bayesian reconstruction algorithm to generate unbiased samples of the underlying dark matter field from halo catalogues. Our new contribution consists of implementing a non-Poisson likelihood including a deterministic non-linear and scale-dependent bias. In particular we present the Hamiltonian equations of motions for the negative binomial (NB) probability distribution function. This permits us to efficiently sample the posterior distribution function of density fields given a sample of galaxies using the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo technique implemented in the ARGO code. We have tested our algorithm with the Bolshoi N-body simulation at redshift z = 0, inferring the underlying dark matter density field from subsamples of the halo catalogue with biases smaller and larger than one. Our method shows that we can draw closely unbiased samples (compatible within 1-σ) from the posterior distribution up to scales of about k ˜ 1 h Mpc-1 in terms of power-spectra and cell-to-cell correlations. We find that a Poisson likelihood including a scale-dependent non-linear deterministic bias can yield reconstructions with power spectra deviating more than 10 per cent at k = 0.2 h Mpc-1. Our reconstruction algorithm is especially suited for emission line galaxy data for which a complex non-linear stochastic biasing treatment beyond Poissonity becomes indispensable.

Recent studies, using OGLE data for LMC Cepheids in the optical, strongly suggest that the period-luminosity (PL) relation for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids shows a break or non-linearity at a period of 10 d. In this paper we apply statistical tests, the chi-squared test and the F-test, to the Cepheid data from the MACHO project to test for a non-linearity of the V- and R-band PL relations at 10 d, and extend these tests to the near-infrared (JHK-band) PL relations with 2MASS data. We correct the extinction for these data by applying an extinction map towards the LMC. The statistical test we use, the F-test, is able to take account of small numbers of data points and the nature of that data on either side of the period cut at 10 d. With our data, the results we obtained imply that the VRJH-band PL relations are non-linear around a period of 10 d, while the K-band PL relation is (marginally) consistent with a single-line regression. The choice of a period of 10 d, around which this non-linearity occurs, is consistent with the results obtained when this `break' period is estimated from the data. We show that robust parametric (including least-squares, least absolute deviation, robust regression) and non-parametric regression methods, which restrict the influence of outliers, produce similar results. Long-period Cepheids are supplemented from the literature to increase our sample size. The photometry of these long-period Cepheids is compared with our data and no trend with period is found. Our main results remain unchanged when we supplement our data set with these long-period Cepheids. By examining our data at maximum light, we also suggest arguments as to why errors in reddening are unlikely to be responsible for our results. The non-linearity of the mean V-band PL relation as seen in both of the OGLE and the MACHO data, using different extinction maps, suggests that this non-linearity is real.

Parameters of magnetic activity on the solar-type stars depend on the properties of the dynamo processes operating in stellar convection zones. We apply non-linear mean-field axisymmetric α2Ω dynamo models to calculate of the magnetic cycle parameters, such as the dynamo cycle period, the total magnetic flux and the Poynting magnetic energy flux on the surface of solar analogues with the rotation periods from 15 to 30 d. The models take into account the principal non-linear mechanisms of the large-scale dynamo, such as the magnetic helicity conservation, magnetic buoyancy and effects of magnetic forces on the angular momentum balance inside the convection zones. Also, we consider two types of the dynamo models. The distributed (D-type) models employ the standard α-effect distributed on the whole convection zone. The `boundary' (B-type) models employ the non-local α-effect, which is confined to the boundaries of the convection zone. Both the D- and B-type models show that the dynamo-generated magnetic flux increases with the increase of the stellar rotation rate. It is found that for the considered range of the rotational periods the magnetic helicity conservation is the most significant effect for the non-linear quenching of the dynamo. This quenching is more efficient in the B-type than in the D-type dynamo models. The D-type dynamo reproduces the observed dependence of the cycle period on the rotation rate for the Sun analogues. For the solar analogue rotating with a period of 15 d, we find non-linear dynamo regimes with multiply cycles.

This paper describes a novel electromagnetic energy harvester that exploits the low flexural modulus of ABS and comprises of a nonlinear mechanism to enhance the generated power and bandwidth. The device is printed using desktop additive manufacturing techniques (3D printing) that use thermoplastics. It has a ‘V’ spring topology and exhibits a softening spring non-linearity introduced through the magnetic arrangement, which introduces a monostable potential well. A model is presented and measurements correspond favourably. The produced prototype generates a peak power of approximately 2.5mW at a frame acceleration of 1g and has a power bandwidth of approximately 1.2→1.5Hz and 3.5→3.9Hz during up and down sweeps respectively. The device has a power density of 0.4mW/cm3 at a frame acceleration of 1g and a density of 0.04mW/cm3 from a generated power of 25μW at 0.1g.

The interaction of static Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) with the plasma flows is modeled in toroidal geometry, using the non-linear resistive MHD code JOREK, which includes the X-point and the scrape-off-layer. Two-fluid diamagnetic effects, the neoclassical poloidal friction and a source of toroidal rotation are introduced in the model to describe realistic plasma flows. RMP penetration is studied taking self-consistently into account the effects of these flows and the radial electric field evolution. JET-like, MAST, and ITER parameters are used in modeling. For JET-like parameters, three regimes of plasma response are found depending on the plasma resistivity and the diamagnetic rotation: at high resistivity and slow rotation, the islands generated by the RMPs at the edge resonant surfaces rotate in the ion diamagnetic direction and their size oscillates. At faster rotation, the generated islands are static and are more screened by the plasma. An intermediate regime with static islands which slightly oscillate is found at lower resistivity. In ITER simulations, the RMPs generate static islands, which forms an ergodic layer at the very edge (ψ ≥0.96) characterized by lobe structures near the X-point and results in a small strike point splitting on the divertor targets. In MAST Double Null Divertor geometry, lobes are also found near the X-point and the 3D-deformation of the density and temperature profiles is observed.

The interaction of static Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) with the plasma flows is modeled in toroidal geometry, using the non-linear resistive MHD code JOREK, which includes the X-point and the scrape-off-layer. Two-fluid diamagnetic effects, the neoclassical poloidal friction and a source of toroidal rotation are introduced in the model to describe realistic plasma flows. RMP penetration is studied taking self-consistently into account the effects of these flows and the radial electric field evolution. JET-like, MAST, and ITER parameters are used in modeling. For JET-like parameters, three regimes of plasma response are found depending on the plasma resistivity and the diamagnetic rotation: at high resistivity and slow rotation, the islands generated by the RMPs at the edge resonant surfaces rotate in the ion diamagnetic direction and their size oscillates. At faster rotation, the generated islands are static and are more screened by the plasma. An intermediate regime with static islands which slightly oscillate is found at lower resistivity. In ITER simulations, the RMPs generate static islands, which forms an ergodic layer at the very edge (ψ≥0.96) characterized by lobe structures near the X-point and results in a small strike point splitting on the divertor targets. In MAST Double Null Divertor geometry, lobes are also found near the X-point and the 3D-deformation of the density and temperature profiles is observed.

This paper investigates the modelling, parameter identification and control of an unidirectional hydraulically actuated seismic isolator test rig. The plant is characterized by non-linearities such as the valve dead zone and frictions. A non-linear model is derived and then employed for parameter identification. The results concerning the model validation are illustrated and they fully confirm the effectiveness of the proposed model. The testing procedure of the isolation systems is based on the definition of a target displacement time history of the sliding table and, consequently, the precision of the table positioning is of primary importance. In order to minimize the test rig tracking error, a suitable control system has to be adopted. The system non-linearities highly limit the performances of the classical linear control and a non-linear one is therefore adopted. The test rig mathematical model is employed for a non-linear control design that minimizes the error between the target table position and the current one. The controller synthesis is made by taking no specimen into account. The proposed approach consists of a non-linear optimal control based on the state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE). Numerical simulations have been performed in order to evaluate the soundness of the designed control with and without the specimen under test. The results confirm that the performances of the proposed non-linear controller are not invalidated because of the presence of the specimen.

We demonstrate that engineered artificial gold chiral nanostructures display significant levels of non-linear optical activity even without plasmonic enhancement. Our work suggests that although plasmonic excitation enhances the intensity of second harmonic emission it is not a prerequisite for significant non-linear (second harmonic) optical activity. It is also shown that the non-linear optical activities of both the chiral nanostructures and simple chiral molecules on surfaces have a common origin, namely pure electric dipole excitation. This is a surprising observation given the significant difference in length scales, three orders of magnitude, between the nanostructures and simple chiral molecules. Intuitively, given that the dimensions of the nanostructures are comparable to the wavelength of visible light, one would expect non-localised higher multipole excitation (e.g. electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole) to make the dominant contribution to non-linear optical activity. This study provides experimental evidence that the electric dipole origin of non-linear optical activity is a generic phenomenon which is not limited to sub-wavelength molecules and assemblies. Our work suggests that viewing non-plasmonic nanostructures as ``meta-molecules'' could be useful for rationally designing substrates for optimal non-linear optical activity.We demonstrate that engineered artificial gold chiral nanostructures display significant levels of non-linear optical activity even without plasmonic enhancement. Our work suggests that although plasmonic excitation enhances the intensity of second harmonic emission it is not a prerequisite for significant non-linear (second harmonic) optical activity. It is also shown that the non-linear optical activities of both the chiral nanostructures and simple chiral molecules on surfaces have a common origin, namely pure electric dipole excitation. This is a surprising observation given the significant difference in length scales

The volume flow dependence upon the osmotic pressure difference of both impermeant (sucrose) and permeable (NaCl) species has been investigated in leg skin bags of Rana esculenta. It is concluded: 1. The hydration-dehydration error in the flow measurement with leg skin bags is negligible. 2. The flow-force relationship is non-linear. 3. Unstirred layers and solute permeation have little, if any, influence on nonlinearity. 4. Structural modifications of the skin induced with hypertonic solutions have been observed and may contribute to nonlinearity, as well as the multiple-barrier effect. PMID:310878

A new method to estimate the uncertainty due to non-linearity is described on the n= 3 scheme basis. The expression of uncertainty is mathematically derived applying the random walk method. The expression is simple and requires only the temperatures of the fixed points and a relative uncertainty value for each flux-doubling derived from the non-linearity measurement. We also present an example of the method, in which the uncertainty of temperature measurement by a radiation thermometer is calculated on the basis of non-linearity measurement.

The numerical study of newly designed solid core photonic crystal fiber (SCPCF) having three hexagonal air hole rings in cladding region and one small nano hole at the center are presented. By using full vectorial finite element method (FV-FEM), we analyses the optical properties like effective area, nonlinearity and confinement loss of the proposed PCF. Results show that the change in core diameter controls the effective area, nonlinearity and confinement loss. A low effective area (3.34 µm{sup 2}), high nonlinearity (36.34 W{sup −1}km{sup −1}) and low confinement loss (0.00106 dB/km) are achieved at the communication wavelength 1.55 µm for the SCPCF having core air hole diameter 0.10 µm, cladding air holes diameter 1.00 µm and pitch 2.50 µm. This type of PCF is very useful in non-linear applications such as supercontinuum generation, four wave mixing, second harmonic generation etc.

The Sun's magnetic field exhibits coherence in space and time on much larger scales than the turbulent convection that ultimately powers the dynamo. In the past the α-effect (mean-field) concept has been used to model the solar cycle, but recent work has cast doubt on the validity of the mean-field ansatz under solar conditions. This indicates that one should seek an alternative mechanism for generating large-scale structure. One possibility is the recently proposed `shear dynamo' mechanism where large-scale magnetic fields are generated in the presence of a simple shear. Further investigation of this proposition is required, however, because work has been focused on the linear regime with a uniform shear profile thus far. In this paper we report results of the extension of the original shear dynamo model into the non-linear regime. We find that whilst large-scale structure can initially persist into the saturated regime, in several of our simulations it is destroyed via large increase in kinetic energy. This result casts doubt on the ability of the simple uniform shear dynamo mechanism to act as an alternative to the α-effect in solar conditions.

In this work, we combined the advantages of second-harmonic generation (SHG) with a random access (RA) excitation scheme to realize a new microscope (RA-SHG) capable of optically recording fast membrane potential events occurring in a wide-field configuration. The RA-SHG microscope in combination with a bulk staining method with FM4-64 was used to simultaneously record electrical activity from clusters of Purkinje cells (PCs) in acute cerebellar slices. Spontaneous electrical activity was also monitored simultaneously in pairs of neurons, where APs were recorded in a single trial without averaging. These results show the strength of this technique to describe the temporal dynamics of neuronal assemblies.

In the first part of this thesis, we have established a systematic procedure to apply the surface optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) technique to study surface dynamics of adsorbates. In particular, we have developed a novel technique for studies of molecular surface diffusions. In this technique, the laser-induced desorption with two interfering laser beams is used to produce a monolayer grating of adsorbates. The monolayer grating is detected with diffractions of optical SHG. By monitoring the first-order second-harmonic diffraction, we can follow the time evolution of the grating modulation from which we are able to deduce the diffusion constant of the adsorbates on the surface. We have successfully applied this technique to investigate the surface diffusion of CO on Ni(111). The unique advantages of this novel technique will enable us to readily study anisotropy of a surface diffusion with variable grating orientation, and to investigate diffusion processes of a large dynamic range with variable grating spacings. In the second part of this work, we demonstrate that optical infrared-visible sum-frequency generation (SFG) from surfaces can be used as a viable surface vibrational spectroscopic technique. We have successfully recorded the first vibrational spectrum of a monolayer of adsorbates using optical infrared-visible SFG. The qualitative and quantitative correlation of optical SFG with infrared absorption and Raman scattering spectroscopies are examined and experimentally demonstrated. We have further investigated the possibility to use transient infrared-visible SFG to probe vibrational transients and ultrafast relaxations on surfaces. 146 refs.

Variational methods are widely used for the solution of complex differential equations in mechanics for which exact solutions are not possible. The finite difference method, although well known as an efficient numerical method, was applied in the past only for the analysis of linear and non-linear thin plates. In this paper the suitability of the method for the analysis of non-linear deflection of thick plates is studied for the first time. While there are major differences between small deflection and large deflection plate theories, the former can be treated as a particular case of the latter, when the centre deflection of the plate is less than or equal to 0.2-0.25 of the thickness of the plate. The finite difference method as applied here is a modified finite difference approach to the ordinary finite difference method generally used for the solution of thin plate problems. In this analysis thin plates are treated as a particular case of the corresponding thick plate when the boundary conditions of the plates are taken into account. The method is first applied to investigate the deflection behaviour of clamped and simply supported square isotropic thick plates. After the validity of the method is established, it is then extended to the solution of rectangular thick plates of various aspect ratios and thicknesses. Generally, beginning with the use of a limited number of mesh sizes for a given plate aspect ratio and boundary conditions, a general solution of the problem including the investigation of accuracy and convergence was extended to rectangular thick plates by providing more detailed functions satisfying the rectangular mesh sizes generated automatically by the program. Whenever possible results obtained by the present method are compared with existing solutions in the technical literature obtained by much more laborious methods and close agreements are found. The significant number of results presented here are not currently available in the technical

Previous efforts to apply non-linear dynamic tools to the analysis of operant behavior revealed some promise for this kind of approach, but also some doubts, since the complexity of animal behavior seemed to be beyond the analyzing ability of the available tools. We here outline a series of studies based on a novel approach. We modified the so-called 'return map' and developed a new method, the 'extended return map' (ERM) to extract information from the highly irregular time series data, the inter-response time (IRT) generated by Skinner-box experiments. We applied the ERM to operant lever pressing data from rats using the four fundamental reinforcement schedules: fixed interval (FI), fixed ratio (FR), variable interval (VI) and variable ratio (VR). Our results revealed interesting patterns in all experiment groups. In particular, the FI and VI groups exhibited well-organized clusters of data points. We calculated the fractal dimension out of these patterns and compared experimental data with surrogate data sets, that were generated by randomly shuffling the sequential order of original IRTs. This comparison supported the finding that patterns in ERM reflect the dynamics of the operant behaviors under study. We then built two models to simulate the functional mechanisms of the FI schedule. Both models can produce similar distributions of IRTs and the stereotypical 'scalloped' curve characteristic of FI responding. However, they differ in one important feature in their formulation: while one model uses a continuous function to describe the probability of occurrence of an operant behavior, the other one employs an abrupt switch of behavioral state. Comparison of ERMs showed that only the latter was able to produce patterns similar to the experimental results, indicative of the operation of an abrupt switch from one behavioral state to another over the course of the inter-reinforcement period. This example demonstrated the ERM to be a useful tool for the analysis of

The catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens buried the valley of the North Fork Toutle River (NFT) to a depth of up to 140 m. Initial integration of a new drainage network took place episodically by the “filling and spilling” (from precipitation and seepage) of depressions formed during emplacement of the debris avalanche deposit. Channel incision to depths of 20-30 m occurred in the debris avalanche and extensive pyroclastic flow deposits, and headward migration of the channel network followed, with complete integration taking place within 2.5 years. Downstream reaches were converted from gravel-cobble streams with step-pool sequences to smoothed, infilled channels dominated by sand-sized materials. Subsequent channel evolution was dominated by channel widening with the ratio of changes in channel width to changes in channel depth ranging from about 60 to 100. Widening resulted in significant adjustment of hydraulic variables that control sediment-transport rates. For a given discharge over time, flow depths were reduced, relative roughness increased and flow velocity and boundary shear stress decreased non-linearly. These changes, in combination with coarsening of the channel bed with time resulted in systematically reduced rates of degradation (in upstream reaches), aggradation (in downstream reaches) and sediment-transport rates through much of the 1990s. Vertical adjustments were, therefore, easy to characterize with non-linear decay functions with bed-elevation attenuating with time. An empirical model of bed-level response was then created by plotting the total dimensionless change in elevation against river kilometer for both initial and secondary vertical adjustments. High magnitude events generated from the generated from upper part of the mountain, however, can cause rapid (threshold) morphologic changes. For example, a rain-on-snow event in November 2006 caused up to 9 m of incision along a 6.5 km reach of Loowit Creek and the upper NFT. The event

A magnetic flux rope is a tube-like, current carrying plasma embedded in an external magnetic field. Commonly observed on the solar surface extending into the solar atmosphere, flux ropes are naturally occurring and have been observed by satellites in the near earth and often recreated in laboratory environments. In a series of experiments, a single flux rope of varying cross-section and length was formed in the cylindrical, magnetized plasma of the Large Plasma Device (LaPD, L = 2200 cm, r = 30 cm, no = 1012 cm-3, Te = 4 eV, He). The flux rope was generated via a DC discharge between a cathode and anode with a fixed-free boundary condition. Upon the initiation of the kink instability (IKink > πr2Bzc/2L), the displacement of the flux rope saturates, commencing complex motion. The flux ropes exhibit two types of motion, common to all cases of varying Alfven speeds, injection currents, lengths, and cross-sections. The first motion is characterized by a circular path in the transverse plane, whose displacement depends on the input power and whose frequency varies with injection current. The second motion is characterized by random Lorentzian pulses in the magnetic signals. The polarity of these pulses align with the transverse magnetic field and manifest with greater frequency with increases in magnetic field and injection current. This work is supported by LANL-UC research grant and done at the Basic Plasma Science Facility, which is funded by DOE and NSF.

Due to both mathematical tractability and efficiency on computational resources, it is very common to find in the realm of numerical modeling in hydro-engineering that regular linearization techniques have been applied to nonlinear partial differential equations properly obtained in environmental flow studies. Sometimes this simplification is also made along with omission of nonlinear terms involved in such equations which in turn diminishes the performance of any implemented approach. This is the case for example, for contaminant transport modeling in streams. Nowadays, a traditional and one of the most common used water quality model such as QUAL2k, preserves its original algorithm, which omits nonlinear terms through linearization techniques, in spite of the continuous algorithmic development and computer power enhancement. For that reason, the main objective of this research was to generate a flexible tool for non-linear water quality modeling. The solution implemented here was based on two genetic algorithms, used in a nested way in order to find two different types of solutions sets: the first set is composed by the concentrations of the physical-chemical variables used in the modeling approach (16 variables), which satisfies the non-linear equation system. The second set, is the typical solution of the inverse problem, the parameters and constants values for the model when it is applied to a particular stream. From a total of sixteen (16) variables, thirteen (13) was modeled by using non-linear coupled equation systems and three (3) was modeled in an independent way. The model used here had a requirement of fifty (50) parameters. The nested genetic algorithm used for the numerical solution of a non-linear equation system proved to serve as a flexible tool to handle with the intrinsic non-linearity that emerges from the interactions occurring between multiple variables involved in water quality studies. However because there is a strong data limitation in

This paper describes the robust H∞ filtering analysis and the synthesis of general non-linear stochastic systems with finite settling time. We assume that the system dynamic is modelled by Itô-type stochastic differential equations of which the state and the measurement are corrupted by state-dependent noises and exogenous disturbances. A sufficient condition for non-linear stochastic systems to have the finite-time H∞ performance with gain less than or equal to a prescribed positive number is established in terms of a certain Hamilton-Jacobi inequality. Based on this result, the existence of a finite-time H∞ filter is given for the general non-linear stochastic system by a second-order non-linear partial differential inequality, and the filter can be obtained by solving this inequality. The effectiveness of the obtained result is illustrated by a numerical example.

The partial charge transfer technique can expand the dynamic range of a CMOS image sensor by synthesizing two types of signal, namely the long and short accumulation time signals. However the short accumulation time signal obtained from partial transfer operation suffers of non-linearity with respect to the incident light. In this paper, an analysis of the non-linearity in partial charge transfer technique has been carried, and the relationship between dynamic range and the non-linearity is studied. The results show that the non-linearity is caused by two factors, namely the current diffusion, which has an exponential relation with the potential barrier, and the initial condition of photodiodes in which it shows that the error in the high illumination region increases as the ratio of the long to the short accumulation time raises. Moreover, the increment of the saturation level of photodiodes also increases the error in the high illumination region. PMID:22303133

Multivariate standardisation is proposed for the successful chemiluminescence determination of chromium based on luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction. In an extended concentration range, non-linear calibration model is needed. The studied instrumental situations were different detection cells, instruments, assemblies, time and their possible combinations. Chemiluminescence kinetic registers have been transferred using piecewise direct standardisation (PDS) method. The optimisation of transfer parameters has been carried out based on the prediction residual error criteria. Non-linear principal component regression (NL-PCR) and non-linear partial least square regression (NL-PLS) were chosen for modelling the relationship signal-concentration of transferred registers. Good accuracy and precision were obtained for water samples. The concentrations of chromium were statistically in agreement with reference method values and with recovery studies. Therefore, it is possible to transfer chemiluminescence curves without loosing ability of prediction, even the presence of a non-linear behaviour. PMID:19071716

In 2003, we reported the first-ever development of a spectral imaging system for illicit drugs detection using a terahertz (THz) wave parametric oscillator (TPO) [K. Kawase et al., Opt. Exp. 11(20), 2549 2003]. The system has a dynamic range below four orders of magnitude, which enables it to identify reagents only through thin envelopes using spectral imaging. Recently, we succeeded in developing a high power and high sensitivity THz wave spectral imaging system using injection-seeded THz parametricgeneration and detection. A dynamic range in excess of 80 dB has been obtained, which is much higher than that of the 2003 system. In this study, the new spectral imaging system successfully identified reagents through thicker material than the thin envelopes used previously. PMID:27136833

The mammalian hearing organ consists of the external ear (auricle and ear canal) followed by the middle ear (eardrum and ossicles) and the inner ear (cochlea). Its function is to convert the incoming sound waves and convert them into nerve pulses which are processed in the final stage by the brain. The main task of the external and middle ear is to concentrate the incoming sound waves on a smaller surface to reduce the loss that would normally occur in transmission from air to inner ear fluid. In the past it has been shown that this is a linear process, thus without serious distortions, for sound waves going up to pressures of 130 dB SPL (˜90 Pa). However, at large pressure changes up to several kPa, the middle ear movement clearly shows non-linear behaviour. Thus, it is possible that some small non-linear distortions are also present in the middle ear vibration at lower sound pressures. In this thesis a sensitive measurement set-up is presented to detect this weak non-linear behaviour. Essentially, this set-up consists of a loud-speaker which excites the middle ear, and the resulting vibration is measured with an heterodyne vibrometer. The use of specially designed acoustic excitation signals (odd random phase multisines) enables the separation of the linear and non-linear response. The application of this technique on the middle ear demonstrates that there are already non-linear distortions present in the vibration of the middle ear at a sound pressure of 93 dB SPL. This non-linear component also grows strongly with increasing sound pressure. Knowledge of this non-linear component can contribute to the improvement of modern hearing aids, which operate at higher sound pressures where the non-linearities could distort the signal considerably. It is also important to know the contribution of middle ear non-linearity to otoacoustic emissions. This are non-linearities caused by the active feedback amplifier in the inner ear, and can be detected in the external and

We investigated different kinds of human cutaneous ex-vivo skin samples by combined two photon intrinsic fluorescence (TPE), second harmonic generation microscopy (SHG), fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), spectral lifetime imaging (SLIM), and multispectral two photon emission detection (MTPE). Morphological and spectroscopic differences were found between healthy and pathological skin samples, including tumors. In particular, we examined tissue samples from normal and pathological scar tissue (keloid), and skin tumors, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and malignant melanoma (MM). By using combined TPE-SHG microscopy we investigated morphological features of different skin regions, as BCC, tumor stroma, healthy dermis, fibroblastic proliferation, and keloids. A score, based on the SHG to autofluorescence aging index of dermis (SAAID), was assigned to characterize each region. We found that both BCC and surrounding dermis have a negative SAAID value, tumor stroma has a positive SAAID value, whereas fibroblastic proliferation and keloids have a SAAID value close to the unit. Further comparative analysis of healthy skin and neoplastic samples was performed using FLIM, SLIM, and MTPE. In particular, BCC showed a blue-shifted fluorescence emission, a higher fluorescence response at 800 nm excitation wavelength and a slightly longer mean fluorescence lifetime. MM showed an emission spectrum similar to the corresponding healthy skin emission spectrum, and a mean fluorescence lifetime distribution shifted towards shorter values. Finally, the use of aminolevulinic acid as a contrast agent has been demonstrated to increase the constrast in BCC border detection. The results obtained represent further support for in-vivo non-invasive imaging of diseased skin.

We study the non-linear behavior of the baryon acoustic oscillation in the power spectrum and the correlation function by decomposing the dark matter perturbations into the short- and long-wavelength modes. The evolution of the dark matter fluctuations can be described as a global coordinate transformation caused by the long-wavelength displacement vector acting on short-wavelength matter perturbation undergoing non-linear growth. Using this feature, we investigate the well known cancellation of the high-k solutions in the standard perturbation theory. While the standard perturbation theory naturally satisfies the cancellation of the high-k solutions, some of the recently proposed improved perturbation theories do not guarantee the cancellation. We show that this cancellation clarifies the success of the standard perturbation theory at the 2-loop order in describing the amplitude of the non-linear power spectrum even at high-k regions. We propose an extension of the standard 2-loop level perturbation theory model of the non-linear power spectrum that more accurately models the non-linear evolution of the baryon acoustic oscillation than the standard perturbation theory. The model consists of simple and intuitive parts: the non-linear evolution of the smoothed power spectrum without the baryon acoustic oscillations and the non-linear evolution of the baryon acoustic oscillations due to the large-scale velocity of dark matter and due to the gravitational attraction between dark matter particles. Our extended model predicts the smoothing parameter of the baryon acoustic oscillation peak at z = 0.35 as ∼ 7.7Mpc/h and describes the small non-linear shift in the peak position due to the galaxy random motions.

In this thesis, we will study non-linear dispersive equations. The primary focus will be on the construction of the positive-time wave operator for such equations. The positive-time wave operator problem arises in the study of the asymptotics of a partial differential equation. It is a map from a space of initial data X into itself, and is loosely defined as follows: Suppose that for a solution ψlin to the dispersive equation with no non-linearity and initial data ψ +, there exists a unique solution ψ to the non-linear equation with initial data ψ0 such that ψ behaves as ψ lin as t → infinity. Then the wave operator is the map W+ that takes ψ + to ψ0. By its definition, W+ is injective. An important additional question is whether or not the map is also surjective. If so, then every non-linear solution emanating from X behaves, in some sense, linearly as it evolves (this is known as asymptotic completeness). Thus, there is some justification for treating these solutions as their much simpler linear counterparts. The main results presented in this thesis revolve around the construction of the wave operator(s) at critical non-linearities. We will study the "semi-relativistic" Schrodinger equation as well as the Klein-Gordon-Schrodinger system on R2 . In both cases, we will impose fairly general quadratic non-linearities for which conservation laws cannot be relied upon. These non-linearities fall below the scaling required to employ such tools as the Strichartz estimates. We instead adapt the "first iteration method" of Jang, Li, and Zhang to our setting which depends crucially on the critical decay of the non-linear interaction of the linear evolution. To see the critical decay in our problem, careful analysis is needed to treat the regime where one has spatial and/or time resonance.

Optical imaging of neuronal activity offers new possibilities for understanding brain physiology. The predominant methods in neuroscience for measuring electrical activity require electrodes inserted into the tissue. Such methods, however, provide limited spatial information and are invasive. Optical methods are less physically invasive and offer the possibility for simultaneously imaging the activity of many neurons. In this thesis one- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy techniques were applied to several in vivo and in vitro mammalian preparations. Using one-photon absorption fluorescence microscopy and gradient index (GRIN) lens optics, cortical electrical activity in response to electric stimulation was resolved in three-dimensions at high-speed in the primary somatosensory cortex of the mouse in vivo using voltage-sensitive dyes. Imaging at depths up to 150 mum below the cortex surface, it was possible to resolve depth-dependent patterns of neuronal activity in response to cortical and thalamic electric stimulation. The patterns of activity were consistent with known cortical cellular architecture. In a qualitatively different set of experiments, one-photon fluorescence microscopy via voltage-sensitive dyes was successfully employed to image an in vitro preparation of the perfused rat brainstem during the process of respiratory rhythmogenesis. Imaging results yielded insights into the spatial organization of the central respiratory rhythm generation region in the ventrolateral medulla. A multifocal two-photon scanning microscope was constructed, and design and operation principles are described. Utilizing the novel device, anatomical and functional two-photon imaging via potentiometric dyes and calcium dyes is described, and the results of in vivo versus in vitro imaging are compared. Anatomical imaging results used either functional probe background fluorescence or green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. Spectroscopic experiments measuring the two

Background: Dysfunctional integration of distributed brain networks is believed to be the cause of schizophrenia, and resting-state functional connectivity analyses of schizophrenia have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Unfortunately, existing functional connectivity analyses of schizophrenia have been mostly limited to linear associations. Objective: The objective of the present study is to evaluate the discriminative power of non-linear functional connectivity and identify its changes in schizophrenia. Method: A novel measure utilizing the extended maximal information coefficient was introduced to construct non-linear functional connectivity. In conjunction with multivariate pattern analysis, the new functional connectivity successfully discriminated schizophrenic patients from healthy controls with relative higher accuracy rate than the linear measure. Result: We found that the strength of the identified non-linear functional connections involved in the classification increased in patients with schizophrenia, which was opposed to its linear counterpart. Further functional network analysis revealed that the changes of the non-linear and linear connectivity have similar but not completely the same spatial distribution in human brain. Conclusion: The classification results suggest that the non-linear functional connectivity provided useful discriminative power in diagnosis of schizophrenia, and the inverse but similar spatial distributed changes between the non-linear and linear measure may indicate the underlying compensatory mechanism and the complex neuronal synchronization underlying the symptom of schizophrenia. PMID:24155713

A detailed correlation between the fabrication conditions, crystallographic phase state of HxLi1-xTaO3 waveguides and second-order optical non-linearity has been investigated by using reflected SHG measurements from the polished waveguide end face. The non-linearity, strongly reduced after the initial proton exchange, is found to be restored and even increased after annealing. However, this apparent increase in the non-linearity is accompanied by a strong degradation of the quality of the SHG reflected beam in the region of the initial as-exchanged waveguide due to beam scattering. The high temperature proton exchange technique has been shown to produce high-quality α-phase waveguides with essentially undegraded non-linear optical properties. There is no phase transition when the α-phase waveguides are fabricated by direct exchange. This phase presents the same crystalline structure as that of LiTaO3 and maintains the excellent non-linear properties of the bulk material. The results obtained are important for the design, fabrication and optimization of guided-wave non-linear optical devices in LiTaO3.

The question of the presence and detection of non-linear dynamics and possibly low-dimensional chaos in the brain is still an open question, with recent results indicating that initial claims for low dimensionality were faulted by incomplete statistical testing. To make some progress on this question, our approach was to use stringent data analysis of precisely controlled and behaviorally significant neuroelectric data. There are strong indications that functional brain activity is correlated with synchronous local field potentials. We examine here such synchronous episodes in data recorded from the visual system of behaving cats and pigeons. Our purpose was to examine under these ideal conditions whether the time series showed any evidence of non-linearity concommitantly with the arising of synchrony. To test for non-linearity we have used surrogate sets for non-linear forecasting, the false nearest strands method, and an examination of deterministic vs stochastic modeling. Our results indicate that the time series under examination do show evidence for traces of non-linear dynamics but weakly, since they are not robust under changes of parameters. We conclude that low-dimensional chaos is unlikely to be found in the brain, and that a robust detection and characterization of higher-dimensional non-linear dynamics is beyond the reach of current analytical tools.

Southeast (SE) Asia is a tectonically complex region surrounded by many active source regions, thus an ideal test bed for developments in seismic tomography. Much recent development in tomography has been based on 3-D sensitivity kernels based on the first-order Born approximation, but there are potential problems with this approach when applied to waveform data. In this study, we develop a radially anisotropic model of SE Asia using long-period multimode waveforms. We use a theoretical 'cascade' approach, starting with a large-scale Eurasian model developed using 2-D Non-linear Asymptotic Coupling Theory (NACT) sensitivity kernels, and then using a modified Born approximation (nBorn), shown to be more accurate at modelling waveforms, to invert a subset of the data for structure in a subregion (longitude 75°-150° and latitude 0°-45°). In this subregion, the model is parametrized at a spherical spline level 6 (˜200 km). The data set is also inverted using NACT and purely linear 3-D Born kernels. All three final models fit the data well, with just under 80 per cent variance reduction as calculated using the corresponding theory, but the nBorn model shows more detailed structure than the NACT model throughout and has much better resolution at depths greater than 250 km. Based on variance analysis, the purely linear Born kernels do not provide as good a fit to the data due to deviations from linearity for the waveform data set used in this modelling. The nBorn isotropic model shows a stronger fast velocity anomaly beneath the Tibetan Plateau in the depth range of 150-250 km, which disappears at greater depth, consistent with other studies. It also indicates moderate thinning of the high-velocity plate in the middle of Tibet, consistent with a model where Tibet is underplated by Indian lithosphere from the south and Eurasian lithosphere from the north, in contrast to a model with continuous underplating by Indian lithosphere across the entire plateau. The n

Incremental harmonic balance (IHB) formulations are derived for general multiple degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) non-linear autonomous systems. These formulations are developed for a concerned four-d.o.f. aircraft wheel shimmy system with combined Coulomb and velocity-squared damping. A multi-harmonic analysis is performed and amplitudes of limit cycles are predicted. Within a large range of parametric variations with respect to aircraft taxi velocity, the IHB method can, at a much cheaper cost, give results with high accuracy as compared with numerical results given by a parametric continuation method. In particular, the IHB method avoids the stiff problems emanating from numerical treatment of aircraft wheel shimmy system equations. The development is applicable to other vibration control systems that include commonly used dry friction devices or velocity-squared hydraulic dampers.

Image registration is one of the most common research areas in medical image processing. It is required for example for image fusion, motion estimation, patient positioning, or generation of medical atlases. In most intensity-based registration approaches, parameters have to be determined, most commonly a parameter indicating to which extend the transformation is required to be smooth. Its optimal value depends on multiple factors like the application and the occurrence of noise in the images, and may therefore vary from case to case. Moreover, multi-scale approaches are commonly applied on registration problems and demand for further adjustment of the parameters. In this paper, we present a landmark-based approach for automatic parameter optimization in non-linear intensity-based image registration. In a first step, corresponding landmarks are automatically detected in the images to match. The landmark-based target registration error (TRE), which is shown to be a valid metric for quantifying registration accuracy, is then used to optimize the parameter choice during the registration process. The approach is evaluated for the registration of lungs based on 22 thoracic 4D CT data sets. Experiments show that the TRE can be reduced on average by 0.07 mm using automatic parameter optimization.

We studied the macro evolution of the micro atmospheric glow discharge generated between a micro argon jet into ambient air and static water. The micro discharge behaves similarly to a complex ecosystem. Non-linear behaviors are found for the micro discharge when the water acts as a cathode, different from the discharge when water behaves as an anode. Groups of snapshots of the micro discharge formed at different discharge currents are captured by an intensified charge-coupled device with controlled exposure time, and each group consisted of 256 images taken in succession. Edge detection methods are used to identify the water surface and then the total brightness is defined by adding up the signal counts over the area of the micro discharge. Motions of the water surface at different discharge currents show that the water surface lowers increasingly rapidly when the water acts as a cathode. In contrast, the water surface lowers at a constant speed when the water behaves as an anode. The light curves are similar to logistic growth curves, suggesting that a self-inhibition process occurs in the micro discharge. Meanwhile, the total brightness increases linearly during the same time when the water acts as an anode. Discharge-water interactions cause the micro discharge to evolve. The charged particle bomb process is probably responsible for the different behaviors of the micro discharges when the water acts as cathode and anode.

A description of laboratory experiments carried out with fixed, vertical truncated cylinders in irregular waves is given. With a model scale about 1:50, the tested models correspond approximately to North Sea large-volume platform dimensions. Tests with a single cylinder as well as with an array of cylinders are performed. Global horizontal forces and pitch moments on individual cylinders were measured. In the present report, analysis of surge force measurements are presented and discussed. The background of the study is the need for research on the hydrodynamic excitation of ringing phenomena. Thus one has emphasized the study of non-linear high-frequency (HF) force contributions generated by steep random waves. It is observed that although they are negligible in the frequency domain, the magnitude of such force components may be up to 10--20% of the total extreme forces, for this particular cylinder. Tests with the multi-column model show that diffraction effects can be important for the magnitude of the HF excitation, but not for the occurrence and nature of such events in itself. Force measurements on the different individual columns show that the HF force signal due to a particular steep wave passing through the structure, is recognized on all the columns, but shape of the signal changes in space.

Each of two sensors, positioned to simultaneously detect electromagnetic radiation absorption along a path, is calibrated to define a unique response curve associated therewith that relates a change in voltage output for each sensor to a change in optical density. A ratio-of-responses curve is defined by a ratio of the response curve associated with the first sensor to the response curve associated with the second sensor. A ratio of sensor output changes is generated using outputs from the sensors. An operating point on the ratio-of-responses curve is established using the ratio of sensor output changes. The established operating point is indicative of an optical density. When the operating point is in the non-linear response region of at least one of the sensors, the operating point and optical density corresponding thereto can be used to establish an actual response of at least one of the sensors whereby the actual sensor output can be used in determining changes in the optical density.

Soil respiration represents the second largest CO2 flux from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere, and a small rise could significantly contribute to further increase in atmospheric CO2. Unfortunately, the extent of this effect cannot be quantified reliably, and the outcomes of experiments designed to study soil respiration remain notoriously unpredictable. In this context, the mathematical simulations described in this article suggest that assumptions of linearity and presumed irrelevance of micro-scale heterogeneity, commonly made in quantitative models of microbial growth in subsurface environments and used in carbon stock models, do not appear warranted. Results indicate that microbial growth is non-linear and, at given average nutrient concentrations, strongly dependent on the microscale distribution of both nutrients and microbes. These observations have far-reaching consequences, in terms of both experiments and theory. They indicate that traditional, macroscopic soil measurements are inadequate to predict microbial responses, in particular to rising temperature conditions, and that an explicit account is required of microscale heterogeneity. Furthermore, models should evolve beyond traditional, but overly simplistic, assumptions of linearity of microbial responses to bulk nutrient concentrations. The development of a new generation of models along these lines, and in particular incorporating upscaled information about microscale processes, will undoubtedly be challenging, but appears to be key to understanding the extent to which soil carbon mineralization could further accelerate climate change. PMID:25992875

We studied the macro evolution of the micro atmospheric glow discharge generated between a micro argon jet into ambient air and static water. The micro discharge behaves similarly to a complex ecosystem. Non-linear behaviors are found for the micro discharge when the water acts as a cathode, different from the discharge when water behaves as an anode. Groups of snapshots of the micro discharge formed at different discharge currents are captured by an intensified charge-coupled device with controlled exposure time, and each group consisted of 256 images taken in succession. Edge detection methods are used to identify the water surface and then the total brightness is defined by adding up the signal counts over the area of the micro discharge. Motions of the water surface at different discharge currents show that the water surface lowers increasingly rapidly when the water acts as a cathode. In contrast, the water surface lowers at a constant speed when the water behaves as an anode. The light curves are similar to logistic growth curves, suggesting that a self-inhibition process occurs in the micro discharge. Meanwhile, the total brightness increases linearly during the same time when the water acts as an anode. Discharge-water interactions cause the micro discharge to evolve. The charged particle bomb process is probably responsible for the different behaviors of the micro discharges when the water acts as cathode and anode.

Soil respiration represents the second largest CO2 flux from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere, and a small rise could significantly contribute to further increase in atmospheric CO2. Unfortunately, the extent of this effect cannot be quantified reliably, and the outcomes of experiments designed to study soil respiration remain notoriously unpredictable. In this context, the mathematical simulations described in this article suggest that assumptions of linearity and presumed irrelevance of micro-scale heterogeneity, commonly made in quantitative models of microbial growth in subsurface environments and used in carbon stock models, do not appear warranted. Results indicate that microbial growth is non-linear and, at given average nutrient concentrations, strongly dependent on the microscale distribution of both nutrients and microbes. These observations have far-reaching consequences, in terms of both experiments and theory. They indicate that traditional, macroscopic soil measurements are inadequate to predict microbial responses, in particular to rising temperature conditions, and that an explicit account is required of microscale heterogeneity. Furthermore, models should evolve beyond traditional, but overly simplistic, assumptions of linearity of microbial responses to bulk nutrient concentrations. The development of a new generation of models along these lines, and in particular incorporating upscaled information about microscale processes, will undoubtedly be challenging, but appears to be key to understanding the extent to which soil carbon mineralization could further accelerate climate change. PMID:25992875

Octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) is an important thermodynamic property used to characterize the partitioning of solutes between an aqueous and organic phase and has importance in such areas as pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, chemical production and environmental toxicology. We present a non-linear quantitative structure-property relationship model for determining Kow values of new molecules in silico. A total of 823 descriptors were generated for 11,308 molecules whose Kow values are reported in the PhysProp dataset by Syracuse Research. Optimum network architecture and its associated inputs were identified using a wrapper-based feature selection algorithm that combines differential evolution and artificial neural networks. A network architecture of 50-33-35-1 resulted in the least root-mean squared error (RMSE) in the training set. Further, to improve on single-network predictions, a neural network ensemble was developed by combining five networks that have the same architecture and inputs but differ in layer weights. The ensemble predicted the Kow values with RMSE of 0.28 and 0.38 for the training set and internal validation set, respectively. The ensemble performed reasonably well on an external dataset when compared with other popular Kow models in the literature. PMID:23185102

By using gyro-Landau fluid transport model (GLF23), time-dependent integrated modeling is carried out using TRANSP to explore the dynamic process of internal transport barrier (ITB) formation in the neutral beam heating discharges. When the current profile is controlled by LHCD (lower hybrid current drive), with appropriate neutral beam injection, the nonlinear interplay between the transport determined gradients in the plasma temperature (T{sub i,e}) and toroidal velocity (V{sub ϕ}) and the E×B flow shear (including q-profile) produces transport bifurcations, generating spontaneously a stepwise growing ITB. In the discharge, the constraints imposed by the wave propagation condition causes interplay of the LH driven current distribution with the plasma configuration modification, which constitutes non-linearity in the LH wave deposition. The non-linear effects cause bifurcation in LHCD, generating two distinct quasi-stationary reversed magnetic shear configurations. The change of current profile during the transition period between the two quasi-stationary states results in increase of the E×B shearing flow arising from toroidal rotation. The turbulence transport suppression by sheared E×B flow during the ITB development is analysed, and the temporal evolution of some parameters characterized the plasma confinement is examined. Ample evidence shows that onset of the ITB development is correlated with the enhancement of E×B shearing rate caused by the bifurcation in LHCD. It is suggested that the ITB triggering is associated with the non-linear effects of the LH power deposition.

We demonstrate a new and compact Phi-plane-pumped noncollinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (NOPCPA) scheme for broadband pulse amplification, which is based on two-beam-pumping (TBP) at 532 nm. We employ type-I phase-matching in a 5 mm long BBO crystal with moderate pump intensities to preserve the temporal pulse contrast. Amplification and compression of the signal pulse from 675 nm - 970 nm is demonstrated, which results in the generation of 7.1-fs light pulses containing 0.35 mJ energy. In this context, we investigate the pump-to-signal energy conversion efficiency for TBP-NOPCPA and outline details for few-cycle pulse characterization. Furthermore, it is verified, that the interference at the intersection of the two pump beams does not degrade the signal beam spatial profile. It is theoretically shown that the accumulated OPA phase partially compensates for wave-vector mismatch and leads to extended broadband amplification. The experimental outcome is supported by numerical split-step simulations of the parametric signal gain, including pump depletion and parametric fluorescence. PMID:20389430

Seated human subjects have been exposed to vertical whole-body vibration so as to investigate the non-linearity in their biodynamic responses and quantify the response in directions other than the direction of excitation. Twelve males were exposed to random vertical vibration in the frequency range 0.25-25 Hz at four vibration magnitudes (0.125, 0.25, 0.625, and 1.25 m s -2 r.m.s.). The subjects sat in four sitting postures having varying foot heights so as to produce differing thigh contact with the seat (feet hanging, feet supported with maximum thigh contact, feet supported with average thigh contact, and feet supported with minimum thigh contact). Forces were measured in the vertical, fore-and-aft, and lateral directions on the seat and in the vertical direction at the footrest. The characteristic non-linear response of the human body with reducing resonance frequency at increasing vibration magnitudes was seen in all postures, but to a lesser extent with minimum thigh contact. Appreciable forces in the fore-and-aft direction also showed non-linearity, while forces in the lateral direction were low and showed no consistent trend. Forces at the feet were non-linear with a multi-resonant behaviour and were affected by the position of the legs. The decreased non-linearity with the minimum thigh contact posture suggests the tissues of the buttocks affect the non-linearity of the body more than the tissues of the thighs. The forces in the fore-and-aft direction are consistent with the body moving in two directions when exposed to vertical vibration. The non-linear behaviour of the body, and the considerable forces in the fore-aft direction should be taken into account when optimizing vibration isolation devices.

We demonstrate a mid-IR frequency comb centered at 3120 nm with 650-nm (20-THz) bandwidth at a comb-teeth spacing of 500 MHz. The generated comb is based on a compact ring-type synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) operating at degeneracy and pumped by a mode-locked Er-doped 1560 nm fiber laser at a repetition rate of 100 MHz. We achieve high-repetition rate by using a fractional-length cavity with a roundtrip length of 60 cm, which is one-fifth of the length dictated by conventional synchronous pumping. PMID:24562236

We propose to generate a single-mode-squeezing two-mode squeezed vacuum state via a single χ(2) nonlinear photonic crystal. The state is favorable for existing Gaussian entanglement distillation schemes, since local squeezing operations can enhance the final entanglement and the success probability. The crystal is designed for enabling three concurrent quasi-phase-matching parametric-down conversions, and hence relieves the auxiliary on-line bi-side local squeezing operations. The compact source opens up a way for continuous-variable quantum technologies and could find more potential applications in future large-scale quantum networks. PMID:27136831

Possibility of application of a laser system with parametric light generation based on a nonlinear KTA crystal for lidar sensing of the atmosphere in the 3-4 μm spectral range is investigated. A technique for lidar measurements of gas components in the atmosphere with the use of differential absorption lidar (DIAL) and differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) method is developed. The DIAL-DOAS technique is tested for estimating the possibility of laser sensing of minor gas components in the atmosphere.

Non-linear resonant coupling of edge waves can occur with tsunamis generated by large-magnitude subduction zone earthquakes. Earthquake rupture zones that straddle beneath the coastline of continental margins are particularly efficient at generating tsunami edge waves. Using a stochastic model for earthquake slip, it is shown that a wide range of edge-wave modes and wavenumbers can be excited, depending on the variability of slip. If two modes are present that satisfy resonance conditions, then a third mode can gradually increase in amplitude over time, even if the earthquake did not originally excite that edge-wave mode. These three edge waves form a resonant triad that can cause unexpected variations in tsunami amplitude long after the first arrival. An M ∼ 9, 1100 km-long continental subduction zone earthquake is considered as a test case. For the least-variable slip examined involving a Gaussian random variable, the dominant resonant triad includes a high-amplitude fundamental mode wave with wavenumber associated with the along-strike dimension of rupture. The two other waves that make up this triad include subharmonic waves, one of fundamental mode and the other of mode 2 or 3. For the most variable slip examined involving a Cauchy-distributed random variable, the dominant triads involve higher wavenumbers and modes because subevents, rather than the overall rupture dimension, control the excitation of edge waves. Calculation of the resonant period for energy transfer determines which cases resonant coupling may be instrumentally observed. For low-mode triads, the maximum transfer of energy occurs approximately 20–30 wave periods after the first arrival and thus may be observed prior to the tsunami coda being completely attenuated. Therefore, under certain circumstances the necessary ingredients for resonant coupling of tsunami edge waves exist, indicating that resonant triads may be observable and implicated in late, large-amplitude tsunami arrivals.

Non-linear resonant coupling of edge waves can occur with tsunamis generated by large-magnitude subduction zone earthquakes. Earthquake rupture zones that straddle beneath the coastline of continental margins are particularly efficient at generating tsunami edge waves. Using a stochastic model for earthquake slip, it is shown that a wide range of edge-wave modes and wavenumbers can be excited, depending on the variability of slip. If two modes are present that satisfy resonance conditions, then a third mode can gradually increase in amplitude over time, even if the earthquake did not originally excite that edge-wave mode. These three edge waves form a resonant triad that can cause unexpected variations in tsunami amplitude long after the first arrival. An M ˜ 9, 1100 km-long continental subduction zone earthquake is considered as a test case. For the least-variable slip examined involving a Gaussian random variable, the dominant resonant triad includes a high-amplitude fundamental mode wave with wavenumber associated with the along-strike dimension of rupture. The two other waves that make up this triad include subharmonic waves, one of fundamental mode and the other of mode 2 or 3. For the most variable slip examined involving a Cauchy-distributed random variable, the dominant triads involve higher wavenumbers and modes because subevents, rather than the overall rupture dimension, control the excitation of edge waves. Calculation of the resonant period for energy transfer determines which cases resonant coupling may be instrumentally observed. For low-mode triads, the maximum transfer of energy occurs approximately 20-30 wave periods after the first arrival and thus may be observed prior to the tsunami coda being completely attenuated. Therefore, under certain circumstances the necessary ingredients for resonant coupling of tsunami edge waves exist, indicating that resonant triads may be observable and implicated in late, large-amplitude tsunami arrivals.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus that causes skin lesions and goes on to enter a latent state in neurons of the trigeminal ganglia. Following stress, the virus may reactivate from latency leading to recurrent lesions. The in situ study of neuronal infections by HSV-1 is critical to understanding the mechanisms involved in the biology of this virus and how it causes disease; however, this normally requires fixation and sectioning of the target tissues followed by treatment with contrast agents to visualize key structures, which can lead to artifacts. To further our ability to study HSV-1 neuropathogenesis, we have generated a recombinant virus expressing a second generation red fluorescent protein (mCherry), which behaves like the parental virus in vivo. By optimizing the application of a multimodal non-linear optical microscopy platform, we have successfully visualized in unsectioned trigeminal ganglia of mice both infected cells by two-photon fluorescence microscopy, and myelinated axons of uninfected surrounding cells by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy. These results represent the first report of CARS microscopy being combined with 2-photon fluorescence microscopy to visualize virus-infected cells deep within unsectioned explanted tissue, and demonstrate the application of multimodal non-linear optical microscopy for high spatial resolution biological imaging of tissues without the use of stains or fixatives. PMID:25133579

A three-dimensional network model for performing non-linear time-dependent simulations of the electrical characteristics related to a composite material is presented. The considered compounds are represented by a cubic lattice and consist of conducting particles distributed in an insulating matrix. Earlier studies of the non-linear characteristics of silicon carbide (SiC) grains and of the linear frequency-dependent electrical properties of composites are combined and extended. The calculations are compared to measurements on ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber filled with angular SiC grains. The field-dependent conductivity measured for the unconsolidated SiC powder is used as input to the simulations. The model can manage the conductivity difference of seven decades between the constituents and the strong exponential non-linearity of the conducting particles. The network calculations replicate the experimental characteristic at high filler concentrations, where direct 'face' contacts between the filler grains dominate the behaviour. At lower concentrations, it is shown that indirect 'edge' contacts involving the polymer control the current transport also in the non-linear high field range. The general effective conductivity describing an edge connection in the linear case is no longer appropriate. Non-linear mechanisms in the polymer and the conducting grains within a field enhanced limited region around the contact need to be represented by an equivalent circuit element with a case-dependent resulting expression.

We show analytically that inclusion of contributions from third-order nonlinearities in a theoretical model for optical parametric interactions derived from second-order nonlinearities makes possible the prediction of various kinds of stationary solitary-wave solution. Specifically these waves consist of hyperbolic (bright and dark types), algebraic (bright and dark types), and kink/antikink types. In the limit of vanishing third-order nonlinearities the first solitary-wave family (hyperbolic type) is reduced to solitary waves already reported. Effects of dissipations including one- and two-photon absorption are discussed as well. Copyright (c) 1995 Optical Society of America

The aim of the paper is to determine the approximation of the tangential matrix for solving the non-linear heat transfer problem. Numerical model of the strongly non-linear heat transfer problem based on the theory of the finite element method is presented. The tangential matrix of the Newton method is formulated. A method to solve the heat transfer with the non-linear boundary conditions, based on the secant slope of a reference function, is developed. The contraction mapping principle is introduced to verify the convergence of this method. The application of the method is shown by two examples. Numerical results of these examples are comparable to the ones solved with the Newton method and the commercial software COMSOL for the heat transfer problem under the radiative boundary conditions.

In recent years, a number of different authors have stressed the usefulness of non-linear dynamic systems approach in suicide research and suicide prevention. This approach applies specific methods of time series analysis and, consequently, it requires a continuous and fine-meshed assessment of the processes under consideration. The technical means for this kind of process assessment and process analysis are now available. This paper outlines how suicidal dynamics can be monitored in high-risk patients by an Internet-based application for continuous self-assessment with integrated tools of non-linear time series analysis: the Synergetic Navigation System. This procedure is illustrated by data from a patient who attempted suicide at the end of a 90-day monitoring period. Additionally, future research topics and clinical applications of a non-linear dynamic systems approach in suicidology are discussed. PMID:26913016

Software defined radios are increasingly used in modern communication systems, especially in cognitive radio. Since this technology has been commercially available, more and more practical deployments are emerging and its challenges and realistic limitations are being revealed. One of the main problems is the RF performance of the front-end over a wide bandwidth. This paper presents an analysis and mitigation of RF impairments in wideband front-ends for software defined radios, focussing on non-linear distortions in the receiver. We discuss the effects of non-linear distortions upon spectrum sensing in cognitive radio and analyse the performance of a typical wideband software-defined receiver. Digital signal processing techniques are used to alleviate non-linear distortions in the baseband signal. A feed-forward mitigation algorithm with an adaptive filter is implemented and applied to real measurement data. The results obtained show that distortions can be suppressed significantly and thus increasing the reliability of spectrum sensing.

55 Cygni is a variable supergiant. Recent observational studies revealed that this star pulsates in pressure, gravity and strange modes. The pulsations seem to be associated with episodes of mass loss. In this paper we present a theoretical study of stellar models with parameters close to that of 55 Cygni. A linear non-adiabatic stability analysis with respect to radial perturbations is performed and the evolution of instabilities into the non-linear regime is followed by numerical simulation. Our study indicates that the mass of 55 Cygni lies below 28 M⊙. As the final consequence of the instabilities the non-linear simulations revealed finite amplitude pulsations with periods consistent with the observations. The non-linear results also indicate a connection between pulsations and mass loss and allow for an estimate of the mean mass-loss rate. It is consistent with the observed values.

In this work, we have assumed the modified Lagrangian of non-linear electrodynamics for accelerated universe. The energy density and pressure for non-linear electromagnetic theory have been considered in terms of both electric and magnetic fields. The Einstein's filed equations have been considered in FRW universe for Hořava-Lifshitz gravity. Since we are considering the non-linear form of Lagrangian for accelerating universe, so four forms of scale factors like logamediate, intermediate, emergent and power law forms are chosen in our investigation. For every expansion, the natures of electric field and magnetic field have been shown through graphical representation. The electric and magnetic fields increase for logamediate, intermediate and emergent expansion and decrease in power law expansion.

Last year, we presented the theory behind "instantaneous stepped-frequency, non-linear radar". We demonstrated through simulation that certain devices (when interrogated by a multi-tone transmit signal) could be expected to produce a multi-tone output signal near harmonics of the transmitted tones. This hypothesized non-linear (multitone) response was then shown to be suitable for pulse compression via standard stepped-frequency processing techniques. At that time, however, we did not have measured data to support the theoretical and simulated results. We now present laboratory measurements confirming our initial hypotheses. We begin with a brief description of the experimental system, and then describe the data collection exercise. Finally, we present measured data demonstrating the accurate ranging of a non-linear target.

We will quickly go through the history of the non-linear transmission lines (NLTLs). We will describe how they work, how they are modeled and how they are designed. Note that the field of high power, NLTL microwave sources is still under development, so this is just a snap shot of their current state. Topics discussed are: (1) Introduction to solitons and the KdV equation; (2) The lumped element non-linear transmission line; (3) Solution of the KdV equation; (4) Non-linear transmission lines at microwave frequencies; (5) Numerical methods for NLTL analysis; (6) Unipolar versus bipolar input; (7) High power NLTL pioneers; (8) Resistive versus reactive load; (9) Non-lineaer dielectrics; and (10) Effect of losses.

In this paper we derive a non-linear polarization electric field relationship in a dielectric by considering harmonics binding of the electrons to its nuclei. We apply this theory to a transmission line to model the non-linear, inhomogeneous frequency-dependent capacitance of the line and approximate an expression for the line current when the line is terminated by load impedance. We then suggest a method for estimating the inhomogeneous, frequency-dependent non-linear component of the line capacitance from the measurements of the far field electromagnetic field radiated by the line current. The far field magnetic vector potential is calculated from the line current by the standard Green's function integration in free space.

We investigated the characteristics of mechanisms mediating motion discrimination of S-cone isolating stimuli and found a double dissociation between the effects of luminance noise, which masks linear but not non-linear motion, and chromatic noise, which masks non-linear but not linear motion. We conclude that S-cones contribute to motion via two different pathways: a non-linear motion mechanism via a chromatic pathway and a linear motion mechanism via a luminance pathway. Additionally, motion discrimination and detection thresholds for drifting, S-cone isolating Gabors are unaffected by luminance noise, indicating that grating motion is mediated via chromatic mechanisms and based on higher-order motion processing. PMID:17343890

In the investigation of heart rate and heart rate variability, the discrimination between mental workload, physical activity and respiration is known to be methodologically difficult. At most, heart rate variability measures are more likely to be coarse-grained measures with variability confounded by heart rate. Moreover, the spectral analysis of heart rate variability shows broad-band frequency characteristics, pointing towards non-stationarity or non-linearity. From this it is suggested to focus on non-linear dynamic analyses that are variance-insensitive. The experimental section of the paper focuses on the estimation of two non-linear measures for both heartbeat dynamics and respiration, the correlation dimension indicating complexity and the Lyapunov exponents indicating predictability. The results indicate that the complexity of heart dynamics is related to the type of task and that the predictability of heart dynamics is related to the amount of load. PMID:9613233

We compared the cortical dynamics of deaf subjects to those of control subjects at rest with eyes closed and during reading with the help of a non-linear prediction statistic. This method is suitable for short-term noisy time series such as electroencephalographic signals. Furthermore, we used surrogate data to test for non-linear dynamics underlying the electroencephalographic time series recorded. Our results indicate that significant non-linearity accompanies cortical activation during reading. This is more diffuse in deaf subjects and could be due to the widespread reorganization of their cerebral cortex. Predictability was lower in deaf subjects at rest, which indicates their increased 'readiness' in the resting condition. Finally, our results indicate that normal and deaf subjects differ significantly in terms of cortical dynamics. PMID:9682843

The Generalized Minimal Massive Gravity (GMMG) theory is realized by adding the CS deformation term, the higher derivative deformation term, and an extra term to pure Einstein gravity with a negative cosmological constant. In the present paper we obtain exact solutions to the GMMG field equations in the non-linear regime of the model. GMMG model about AdS_3 space is conjectured to be dual to a 2-dimensional CFT. We study the theory in critical points corresponding to the central charges c_-=0 or c_+=0, in the non-linear regime. We show that AdS_3 wave solutions are present, and have logarithmic form in critical points. Then we study the AdS_3 non-linear deformation solution. Furthermore we obtain logarithmic deformation of extremal BTZ black hole. After that using Abbott-Deser-Tekin method we calculate the energy and angular momentum of these types of black hole solutions.

Among the difficulties associated with multivariable, non-linear control systems is the problem of assessing closed-loop stability. Of particular interest is the class of non-linear systems controlled with on/off actuators, such as spacecraft thrusters or electrical relays. With such systems, standard describing function techniques are typically too conservative, and time-domain simulation analysis is prohibitively extensive, This paper presents an open-loop analysis technique for this class of non-linear systems. The technique is centered around an innovative use of multivariable signal transmission theory to quantify the plant response to worst case control commands. The technique has been applied to assess stability of thruster controlled flexible space structures. Examples are provided for Space Shuttle attitude control with attached flexible payloads.

On the basis of fundamental constitutive laws such as elasticity, perfect plasticity, and pure viscosity, many elasto-viscoplastic constitutive relations have been developed since the 1970s through phenomenological approaches. In addition, a few more recent micro-mechanical models based on multi-scale approaches are now able to describe the main macroscopic features of the mechanical behaviour of granular media. The purpose of this paper is to compare a phenomenological constitutive relation and a micro-mechanical model with respect to a basic issue regularly raised about granular assemblies: the incrementally non-linear character of their behaviour. It is shown that both phenomenological and micro-mechanical models exhibit an incremental non-linearity. In addition, the multi-scale approach reveals that the macroscopic incremental non-linearity could stem from the change in the regime of local contacts between particles (from plastic regime to elastic regime) in terms of the incremental macroscopic loading direction. Copyright

It is pointed out that tunable coherent sources are very useful for many applications, including spectroscopy, chemistry, combustion diagnostics, and remote sensing. Compared with other tunable sources, optical parametric oscillators (OPO) offer the potential advantage of a wide wavelength operating range, which extends from 0.2 micron to 25 microns. The current status of OPO is examined, taking into account mainly advances made during the last decade. Attention is given to early LiNbO3 parametric oscillators, problems which have prevented wide use of parametric oscillators, the demonstration of OPO's using urea and AgGaS2, progress related to picosecond OPO's, a breakthrough in nanosecond parametric oscillators, the first demonstration of a waveguide and fiber parametric amplification and generation, the importance of chalcopyrite crystals, and theoretical work performed with the aim to understand the factors affecting the parametric oscillator performance.

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, non-classical light sources are likely to become an essential element of future detectors engaged in gravitational wave astronomy and cosmology. Operating a squeezed light source under high vacuum has the advantages of reducing optical losses and phase noise compared to techniques where the squeezed light is introduced from outside the vacuum. This will ultimately provide enhanced sensitivity for modern interferometric gravitational wave detectors that will soon become limited by quantum noise across much of the detection bandwidth. Here we describe the optomechanical design choices and construction techniques of a near monolithic glass optical parametric oscillator that has been operated under a vacuum of 10(-6) mbar. The optical parametric oscillator described here has been shown to produce 8.6 dB of quadrature squeezed light in the audio frequency band down to 10 Hz. This performance has been maintained for periods of around an hour and the system has been under vacuum continuously for several months without a degradation of this performance. PMID:27370423

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, non-classical light sources are likely to become an essential element of future detectors engaged in gravitational wave astronomy and cosmology. Operating a squeezed light source under high vacuum has the advantages of reducing optical losses and phase noise compared to techniques where the squeezed light is introduced from outside the vacuum. This will ultimately provide enhanced sensitivity for modern interferometric gravitational wave detectors that will soon become limited by quantum noise across much of the detection bandwidth. Here we describe the optomechanical design choices and construction techniques of a near monolithic glass optical parametric oscillator that has been operated under a vacuum of 10-6 mbar. The optical parametric oscillator described here has been shown to produce 8.6 dB of quadrature squeezed light in the audio frequency band down to 10 Hz. This performance has been maintained for periods of around an hour and the system has been under vacuum continuously for several months without a degradation of this performance.

The Lyman alpha forest power spectrum has been measured on large scales by the BOSS survey in SDSS-III at z~ 2.3, has been shown to agree well with linear theory predictions, and has provided the first measurement of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations at this redshift. However, the power at small scales, affected by non-linearities, has not been well examined so far. We present results from a variety of hydrodynamic simulations to predict the redshift space non-linear power spectrum of the Lyα transmission for several models, testing the dependence on resolution and box size. A new fitting formula is introduced to facilitate the comparison of our simulation results with observations and other simulations. The non-linear power spectrum has a generic shape determined by a transition scale from linear to non-linear anisotropy, and a Jeans scale below which the power drops rapidly. In addition, we predict the two linear bias factors of the Lyα forest and provide a better physical interpretation of their values and redshift evolution. The dependence of these bias factors and the non-linear power on the amplitude and slope of the primordial fluctuations power spectrum, the temperature-density relation of the intergalactic medium, and the mean Lyα transmission, as well as the redshift evolution, is investigated and discussed in detail. A preliminary comparison to the observations shows that the predicted redshift distortion parameter is in good agreement with the recent determination of Blomqvist et al., but the density bias factor is lower than observed. We make all our results publicly available in the form of tables of the non-linear power spectrum that is directly obtained from all our simulations, and parameters of our fitting formula.

We present a hybrid finite-difference technique capable of modeling non-linear soil amplification from the 3-D finite-fault radiation pattern for earthquakes in arbitrary earth models. The method is applied to model non-linear effects in the soils of the San Fernando Valley (SFV) from the 17 January 1994 M 6.7 Northridge earthquake. 0-7 Hz particle velocities are computed for an area of 17 km by 19 km immediately above the causative fault and 5 km below the surface where peak strike-parallel, strike-perpendicular, vertical, and total velocities reach values of 71 cm/s, 145 cm/s, 152 cm/s, and 180 cm/s, respectively. Selected Green`s functions and a soil model for the SFV are used to compute the approximate stress level during the earthquake, and comparison to the values for near-surface alluvium at the U.S. Nevada Test Site suggests that the non-linear regime may have been entered. We use selected values from the simulated particle velocity distribution at 5 km depth to compute the non-linear response in a soil column below a site within the Van Norman Complex in SFV, where the strongest ground motion was recorded. Since site-specific non- linear material parameters from the SFV are currently unavailable, values are taken from analyses of observed Test Site ground motions. Preliminary results show significant reduction of spectral velocities at the surface normalized to the peak source velocity due to non-linear effects when the peak velocity increases from 32 cm/s (approximately linear case) to 64 cm/s (30-92%), 93 cm/s (7-83%), and 124 cm/s (2-70%). The largest reduction occurs for frequencies above 1 Hz.

Numerous non-ideal factors can influence paleointensity data, but the detection of these factors remains problematic and new approaches to understanding how paleointensity data behave are needed. In this study, a recently developed stochastic model of single domain (SD) paleointensity behaviour is expanded to investigate the effects that anisotropic and non-linear thermoremanent magnetizations (TRMs) have on the paleointensity results and the parameters used to select data. The model results indicate that before applying any form of correction these non-ideal factors can produce results that are self-consistent, but highly inaccurate. The methods that are currently used to correct for anisotropic and non-linear TRMs are effective and greatly increase the likelihood of obtaining accurate results. The corrections, however, do not restore the results to those of ideal SD samples measured with the same laboratory-to-ancient field ratio, but the data are restored to those of ideal SD samples with the equivalent laboratory-to-ancient magnetization ratios (MLab/MAnc). The simulations indicate that non-linear and anisotropic TRM have no or only a weak influence on the parameters commonly used to select paleointensity data, which means that these non-ideal factors are effectively undetectable. These new models suggest that the paleointensity behaviour of thermally/chemically stable SD samples, whether they are ideally behaved, anisotropy or non-linear TRM corrected, is near universal and depends only on MLab/MAnc and the choice of paleointensity protocol (i.e. Coe-type versus Thellier). Given the high self-consistency and highly inaccurate results that anisotropic and non-linear TRM can yield, it is essential to test for such effects and all Thellier-type paleointensity studies must include tests for anisotropic and non-linear TRM to assert the reliability of the data obtained.

The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical model characterized by a beam-column finite element which is able to reproduce the non-linear flexural-shear behavior of RC structures. The paper shows a brief description of the finite element formulation, the theory used for modeling the constitutive relationship and the scheme of the algorithm, transformed in a computer program, which was developed for implementing the theoretical model. Finally it illustrates a comparison with available experimental results for the calibration and validation of the model and a study on the influence of the non-linear shear response.

The geometrically non-linear free vibration of thin composite laminated plates is investigated by using a theoretical model based on Hamilton's principle and spectral analysis previously applied to obtain the non-linear mode shapes and resonance frequencies of thin straight structures, such as beams, plates and shells (Benamar et al. 1991Journal of Sound and Vibration149 , 179-195; 1993, 164, 295-316; 1990 Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Recent Advances in Structural Dynamics, Southampton; Moussaoui et al. 2000 Journal of Sound and Vibration232, 917-943 [1-4]). The von Kármán non-linear strain-displacement relationships have been employed. In the formulation, the transverse displacement W of the plate mid-plane has been taken into account and the in-plane displacements U and V have been neglected in the non-linear strain energy expressions. This assumption, quite often made in the literature has been adopted in reference [2] and (El Kadiri et al. 1999 Journal of Sound and Vibration228, 333-358 [5]), in the isotropic case and has been mentioned here because the results obtained have been found to be in very good agreement with those based on the hierarchical finite element method (HFEM). In a previous study, it was assumed, based on the analogy with the isotropic case, that the fundamental carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) plate non-linear mode shape could be well estimated, by using nine plate functions, obtained as products of clamped-clamped beam functions in the x and y directions, symmetric in both the length U001and width directions [3]. In the present work, a convergence study has been performed and has shown that, although such an assumption may yield a good estimate for the non-linear resonance frequency, 18 plate functions should be taken into account instead of nine in the first non-linear mode shape and associated bending stress patterns calculations. This allows the anisotropy induced by the fibre orientations to be taken

We undertake an investigation of particle acceleration in the context of non-linear electrodynamics. We deduce the maximum energy that an electron can gain in a non-linear density wave in a magnetised plasma, and we show that an electron can "surf" a sufficiently intense Born-Infeld electromagnetic plane wave and be strongly accelerated by the wave. The first result is valid for a large class of physically reasonable modifications of the linear Maxwell equations, whilst the second result exploits the special mathematical structure of Born-Infeld theory.

The present work includes the discussion of three main aspects in the area of the energy loss of ions in solids. First we review some of the main features contained in the historical Bohr, Bethe and Bloch theories, and related models based on them. Then we analyze new developments in this area based on a non-linear formulation of the energy loss of ions in a free electron gas. As a final question, we reconsider, from the new perspective of the non-linear approach, some long-standing problems concerning the charge state of ions moving in solids and its relationship with the effective charge concept.

The assumption of superposition or linearity of photocurrent with solar flux is widespread for calculations and measurements of solar cells. The well-known effect of luminescent coupling in multijunction solar cells has also been assumed to be linear with excess current. Here we show significant non-linearities in luminescent coupling in III-V multijunction solar cells and propose a simple model based on competition between radiative and nonradiative processes in the luminescent junction to explain these non-linearities. We demonstrate a technique for accurately measuring the junction photocurrents under a specified reference spectrum, that accounts for and quantifies luminescent coupling effects.

The non-linear structural surface intensity (NSSI) based damage detection technique is extended to airframe applications. The selected test structure is an upper cabin airframe section from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter (Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, CT). Structural damage is simulated through an impact resonator device, designed to simulate the induced vibration effects typical of non-linear behaving damage. An experimental study is conducted to prove the applicability of NSSI on complex mechanical systems as well as to evaluate the minimum sensor and actuator requirements. The NSSI technique is shown to have high damage detection sensitivity, covering an extended substructure with a single sensing location. PMID:21476618

This paper is concerned with the non-linear vibration performance of a rigid rotor supported on three bearings, one being surrounded by a squeeze-film damper. This damper relies on the pressure built up in the squeeze film to help counter-act external forces arising from unbalance and other effects. As a result a vibration orbit of a certain magnetude results. Such vibration orbits illustrate features found in other non-linear systems, in particular sub-harmonic resonances and jump phenomena. Comparisons between theoretical prediction and experimental observations of these phenomena are made.

The applicability and usefulness of several classical and other methods for solving the two-point boundary-value problem which arises in non-linear singularly perturbed optimal control are assessed. Specific algorithms of the Picard, Newton and averaging types are formally developed for this class of problem. The computational requirements associated with each algorithm are analysed and compared with the computational requirement of the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Approximate solutions to a linear and a non-linear problem are obtained by each method and compared.

By modelling the non-linear effects of membranous enzymes on an applied oscillating electromagnetic field using supervised multivariate analysis methods, Non-Linear Dielectric Spectroscopy (NLDS) has previously been shown to produce quantitative information that is indicative of the metabolic state of various organisms. The use of Genetic Programming (GP) for the multivariate analysis of NLDS data recorded from yeast fermentations is discussed, and GPs are compared with previous results using Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Artificial Neural Nets (NN). GP considerably outperforms these methods, both in terms of the precision of the predictions and their interpretability. PMID:10379559

We undertake an investigation of particle acceleration in the context of non-linear electrodynamics. We deduce the maximum energy that an electron can gain in a non-linear density wave in a magnetised plasma, and we show that an electron can “surf” a sufficiently intense Born-Infeld electromagnetic plane wave and be strongly accelerated by the wave. The first result is valid for a large class of physically reasonable modifications of the linear Maxwell equations, whilst the second result exploits the special mathematical structure of Born-Infeld theory.

CT perfusion (CTP) imaging allows for rapid diagnosis of ischemic stroke. Generation of perfusion maps from CTP data usually involves deconvolution algorithms providing estimates for the impulse response function in the tissue. We propose the use of a fast non-linear regression (NLR) method that we postulate has similar performance to the current academic state-of-art method (bSVD), but that has some important advantages, including the estimation of vascular permeability, improved robustness to tracer-delay, and very few tuning parameters, that are all important in stroke assessment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the fast NLR method against bSVD and a commercial clinical state-of-art method. The three methods were tested against a published digital perfusion phantom earlier used to illustrate the superiority of bSVD. In addition, the NLR and clinical methods were also tested against bSVD on 20 clinical scans. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for each of the tested methods. All three methods showed high correlation coefficients (>0.9) with the ground truth in the phantom. With respect to the clinical scans, the NLR perfusion maps showed higher correlation with bSVD than the perfusion maps from the clinical method. Furthermore, the perfusion maps showed that the fast NLR estimates are robust to tracer-delay. In conclusion, the proposed fast NLR method provides a simple and flexible way of estimating perfusion parameters from CT perfusion scans, with high correlation coefficients. This suggests that it could be a better alternative to the current clinical and academic state-of-art methods.

We study the effects of anisotropic thermal conduction on low-collisionality, astrophysical plasmas using two- and three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Dilute, weakly magnetized plasmas are buoyantly unstable for either sign of the temperature gradient: the heat-flux-driven buoyancy instability (HBI) operates when the temperature increases with radius while the magnetothermal instability (MTI) operates in the opposite limit. In contrast to previous results, we show that the MTI can drive strong turbulence and operate as an efficient magnetic dynamo, akin to standard, adiabatic convection. Together, the turbulent and magnetic energies may contribute up to ˜10 per cent of the pressure support in the plasma. In addition, the MTI drives a large convective heat flux, up to ˜1.5 per cent ×ρc3s. These findings are robust even in the presence of an external source of strong turbulence. Our results for the non-linear saturation of the HBI are consistent with previous studies but we explain physically why the HBI saturates quiescently, while the MTI saturates by generating sustained turbulence. We also systematically study how an external source of turbulence affects the saturation of the HBI: such turbulence can disrupt the HBI only on scales where the shearing rate of the turbulence is faster than the growth rate of the HBI. The HBI reorients the magnetic field and suppresses the conductive heat flux through the plasma, and our results provide a simple mapping between the level of turbulence in a plasma and the effective isotropic thermal conductivity. We discuss the astrophysical implications of these findings, with a particular focus on the intracluster medium of galaxy clusters.

The covariance of the matter power spectrum is a key element of the analysis of galaxy clustering data. Independent realizations of observational measurements can be used to sample the covariance, nevertheless statistical sampling errors will propagate into the cosmological parameter inference potentially limiting the capabilities of the upcoming generation of galaxy surveys. The impact of these errors as function of the number of realizations has been previously evaluated for Gaussian distributed data. However, non-linearities in the late-time clustering of matter cause departures from Gaussian statistics. Here, we address the impact of non-Gaussian errors on the sample covariance and precision matrix errors using a large ensemble of N-body simulations. In the range of modes where finite volume effects are negligible (0.1 ≲ k [h Mpc-1] ≲ 1.2), we find deviations of the variance of the sample covariance with respect to Gaussian predictions above ˜10 per cent at k > 0.3 h Mpc-1. Over the entire range these reduce to about ˜5 per cent for the precision matrix. Finally, we perform a Fisher analysis to estimate the effect of covariance errors on the cosmological parameter constraints. In particular, assuming Euclid-like survey characteristics we find that a number of independent realizations larger than 5000 is necessary to reduce the contribution of sampling errors to the cosmological parameter uncertainties at subpercent level. We also show that restricting the analysis to large scales k ≲ 0.2 h Mpc-1 results in a considerable loss in constraining power, while using the linear covariance to include smaller scales leads to an underestimation of the errors on the cosmological parameters.

The non-linear techniques Second and Third Harmonic Generation (SHG, THG) have been employed simultaneously to record three dimensional (3D) imaging and localize the lipid content of the muscular areas (ectopic fat) of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Simultaneously, Two-Photon Fluorescence (TPEF) was used initially to localize the stained lipids with Nile Red, but also to confirm the THG potential to image lipids successfully. In addition, GFP labelling of the somatic muscles, proves the initial suggestion of the existence of ectopic fat on the muscles and provides complementary information to the SHG imaging of the pharynx. The ectopic fat may be related to a complex of pathological conditions including type-2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The elucidation of the molecular path leading to the development of metabolic syndrome is a vital issue with high biological significance and necessitates accurate methods competent of monitoring lipid storage distribution and dynamics in vivo. THG microscopy was employed as a quantitative tool to monitor the lipid accumulation in non-adipose tissues in the pharyngeal muscles of 12 unstained specimens while the SHG imaging revealed the anatomical structure of the muscles. The ectopic fat accumulation on the pharyngeal muscles increases in wild type (N2) C. elegans between 1 and 9 days of adulthood. This suggests a correlation of the ectopic fat accumulation with the aging. Our results can provide new evidence relating the deposition of ectopic fat with aging, but also validate SHG and THG microscopy modalities as new, non-invasive tools capable of localizing and quantifying selectively lipid accumulation and distribution.

Ordinary differential equation models have become a wide-spread approach to analyze dynamical systems and understand underlying mechanisms. Model parameters are often unknown and have to be estimated from experimental data, e.g., by maximum-likelihood estimation. In particular, models of biological systems contain a large number of parameters. To reduce the dimensionality of the parameter space, steady-state information is incorporated in the parameter estimation process. For non-linear models, analytical steady-state calculation typically leads to higher-order polynomial equations for which no closed-form solutions can be obtained. This can be circumvented by solving the steady-state equations for kinetic parameters, which results in a linear equation system with comparatively simple solutions. At the same time multiplicity of steady-state solutions is avoided, which otherwise is problematic for optimization. When solved for kinetic parameters, however, steady-state constraints tend to become negative for particular model specifications, thus, generating new types of optimization problems. Here, we present an algorithm based on graph theory that derives non-negative, analytical steady-state expressions by stepwise removal of cyclic dependencies between dynamical variables. The algorithm avoids multiple steady-state solutions by construction. We show that our method is applicable to most common classes of biochemical reaction networks containing inhibition terms, mass-action and Hill-type kinetic equations. Comparing the performance of parameter estimation for different analytical and numerical methods of incorporating steady-state information, we show that our approach is especially well-tailored to guarantee a high success rate of optimization. PMID:27243005

Ordinary differential equation models have become a wide-spread approach to analyze dynamical systems and understand underlying mechanisms. Model parameters are often unknown and have to be estimated from experimental data, e.g., by maximum-likelihood estimation. In particular, models of biological systems contain a large number of parameters. To reduce the dimensionality of the parameter space, steady-state information is incorporated in the parameter estimation process. For non-linear models, analytical steady-state calculation typically leads to higher-order polynomial equations for which no closed-form solutions can be obtained. This can be circumvented by solving the steady-state equations for kinetic parameters, which results in a linear equation system with comparatively simple solutions. At the same time multiplicity of steady-state solutions is avoided, which otherwise is problematic for optimization. When solved for kinetic parameters, however, steady-state constraints tend to become negative for particular model specifications, thus, generating new types of optimization problems. Here, we present an algorithm based on graph theory that derives non-negative, analytical steady-state expressions by stepwise removal of cyclic dependencies between dynamical variables. The algorithm avoids multiple steady-state solutions by construction. We show that our method is applicable to most common classes of biochemical reaction networks containing inhibition terms, mass-action and Hill-type kinetic equations. Comparing the performance of parameter estimation for different analytical and numerical methods of incorporating steady-state information, we show that our approach is especially well-tailored to guarantee a high success rate of optimization. PMID:27243005

When an eruption occurs in a large basaltic volcano as Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Reunion, France), accelerations of surface displacements and seismicity rate are recorded before magma reaches the surface, with a hour to week time scale. These eruptions are understood as ruptures of pressurized magma reservoirs. When elastic models are used to account for surface deformation, such accelerations are modelled by an accelerating increase of the reservoir pressure. It is reached for magma flow or pressure conditions at the base of the magma feeding system that may be not realistic at this time scale. An alternative solution to explain such accelerations is the weakening of the volcanic edifice under the effect of magma pressure in the reservoir. In this study we have modelled such a weakening by the progressive damage of an initially elastic edifice. We used an incremental damage model, with seismicity as a damage variable with daily increments. Elastic moduli decrease linearly for each damage increment. When this damage model is used in an initially elastic edifice with a simple constant pressure condition at the base of the system (which leads to an equilibrium in a purely elastic model), surface displacement accelerations are well reproduced when damage is sufficient. We link the damage parameter to the crack density and show that process dynamics is controlled by the ratio between the incremental rupture surface and the surface to be ruptured, this later being directly dependent on reservoir depth. In that case the edifice strength decreases relative to the elastic strength, and magma reservoir pressure decreases with elastic moduli. This later characteristics may eventually cause gaz exsolution, which may generatenon-linear instabilities during the eruptive process.

This project covers three distinct features of thin film fracture and deformation in which the current experimental technique of nanoindentation demonstrates limitations. The first feature is film fracture, which can be generated either by nanoindentation or bulge testing thin films. Examples of both tests will be shown, in particular oxide films on metallic or semiconductor substrates. Nanoindentations were made into oxide films on aluminum and titanium substrates for two cases; one where the metal was a bulk (effectively single crystal) material and the other where the metal was a 1 pm thick film grown on a silica or silicon substrate. In both cases indentation was used to produce discontinuous loading curves, which indicate film fracture after plastic deformation of the metal. The oxides on bulk metals fractures occurred at reproducible loads, and the tensile stress in the films at fracture were approximately 10 and 15 GPa for the aluminum and titanium oxides respectively. Similarly, bulge tests of piezoelectric oxide films have been carried out and demonstrate film fracture at stresses of only 100's of MPa, suggesting the importance of defects and film thickness in evaluating film strength. The second feature of concern is film adhesion. Several qualitative and quantitative tests exist today that measure the adhesion properties of thin films. A relatively new technique that uses stressed overlayers to measure adhesion has been proposed and extensively studied. Delamination of thin films manifests itself in the form of either telephone cord or straight buckles. The buckles are used to calculate the interfacial fracture toughness of the film-substrate system. Nanoindentation can be utilized if more energy is needed to initiate buckling of the film system. Finally, deformation in metallic systems can lead to non-linear deformation due to 'bursts' of dislocation activity during nanoindentation. An experimental study to examine the structure of dislocations around

/ In this paper, an advanced technique for the generation of deformation maps using SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data is presented. The algorithm, called the Coherent Pixels Technique, estimates the linear and non-linear components of the displacement, the error of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) used to cancel the topographic terms, and the atmospheric artifacts from a reduced set of low spatial resolution interferograms. The pixel candidates are selected from those presenting a good coherence level in the whole set of interferograms and the resulting non-uniform mesh tessellated with the Delauney triangulation to establish connections among them. The linear component of movement and DEM error are estimated adjusting a linear model to the data only on the connections. Later on, this information, once integrated to retrieve the absolute values, is used to calculate the non-linear component of movement and atmospheric artifacts with alternate filtering techniques in both temporal and spatial domains. The method presents high flexibility with respect to the required number of images and the baselines length. However, better results are obtained with large datasets of short baseline interferograms. The technique has been tested with ERS SAR data from an area of Catalonia (Spain) and the Campi Flegrei area (Naples, Italy) and validated with on-field precise levelling measurements.

It was recently shown that multiple excitatory inputs to CA1 pyramidal neuron dendrites must be activated nearly simultaneously to generate local dendritic spikes and supralinear responses at the soma; even slight input desynchronization prevented local spike initiation (Gasparini and Magee, 2006; Losonczy and Magee, 2006). This led to the conjecture that CA1 pyramidal neurons may only express their non-linear integrative capabilities during the highly synchronized sharp waves and ripples that occur during slow wave sleep and resting/consummatory behavior, whereas during active exploration and REM sleep (theta rhythm), inadequate synchronization of excitation would lead CA1 pyramidal cells to function as essentially linear devices. Using a detailed single neuron model, we replicated the experimentally observed synchronization effect for brief inputs mimicking single synaptic release events. When synapses were driven instead by double pulses, more representative of the bursty inputs that occur in vivo, we found that the tolerance for input desynchronization was increased by more than an order of magnitude. The effect depended mainly on paired-pulse facilitation of NMDA receptor-mediated responses at Schaffer collateral synapses. Our results suggest that CA1 pyramidal cells could function as non-linear integrative units in all major hippocampal states. PMID:22171217

We discuss a nonlinear extension of a model of alliances in politics, recently proposed by one of us. The model is constructed in terms of operators, describing the interest of three parties to form, or not, some political alliance with the other parties. The time evolution of what we call the decision functions is deduced by introducing a suitable Hamiltonian, which describes the main effects of the interactions of the parties amongst themselves and with their environments, which are generated by their electors and by people who still have no clear idea for which party to vote (or even if to vote). The Hamiltonian contains some non-linear effects, which takes into account the role of a party in the decision process of the other two parties. Moreover, we show how the same Hamiltonian can also be used to construct a formal structure which can describe the dynamics of buying and selling financial assets (without however implying a specific price setting mechanism).

We have evidenced the high sensitivity of infra red-induced second harmonic generation (IR-ISHG) to the structural changes that occurred in amorphous hydrogenated silicon films (a-Si:H) prepared by Rf-glow discharge technique at different substrate temperatures and doping types. In every case, a maximal signal of the IR-induced SHG is achieved at a temperature of about 110 K and pump-probe delaying time about 22-38 ps. This one indicates a marked effect of doped subsystems in the observed non-linear optical effects. A tremendous effect of doping is established from a drastic change of the IR-induced SHG behavior presenting an anomaly at about 400 MW/cm 2 for a pumping power with wavelength 3.7 μm. A minimum of the SHG is observed in that case for standard non-doped films. Note here that the doping type does not markedly affect the behavior of the second-order non-linear optical susceptibility. The thermo-annealing leads to a slight decrease of the effective second-order susceptibilities. More drastic changes are observed with doped samples for the pump-probe delaying time from about 39 till 24 ps.

On the smallest scales, three-dimensional large-scale structure surveys contain a wealth of cosmological information which cannot be trivially extracted due to the non-linear dynamical evolution of the density field. Lagrangian perturbation theory (LPT) is widely applied to the generation of mock halo catalogs and data analysis. In this work, we compare topological features of the cosmic web such as voids, sheets, filaments and clusters, in the density fields predicted by LPT and full numerical simulation of gravitational large-scale structure formation. We propose a method designed to improve the correspondence between these density fields, in the mildly non-linear regime. We develop a computationally fast and flexible tool for a variety of cosmological applications. Our method is based on a remapping of the approximately-evolved density field, using information extracted from N-body simulations. The remapping procedure consists of replacing the one-point distribution of the density contrast by one which better accounts for the full gravitational dynamics. As a result, we obtain a physically more pertinent density field on a point-by-point basis, while also improving higher-order statistics predicted by LPT. We quantify the approximation error in the power spectrum and in the bispectrum as a function of scale and redshift. Our remapping procedure improves one-, two- and three-point statistics at scales down to 8 Mpc/h.

Azo-dye compounds, in bulk or as thin films, are extensively studied due to their particular optical properties. These properties include non-linear interaction, e.g. two-photon absorption, optical limiting and all-optical poling, with potential applications in optoelectronics and sensors development. Herein, we report on the deposition of pyrazolone derivatives, namely 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-(1‧-azo-2‧-sodium carboxylate)-pyrazole-5-one thin films, for applications in second harmonic generation. Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation was employed for layers growth, using a Nd:YAG device operating at 266 nm (4ω). The structure and surface morphology of the deposited films were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Spectroscopic-ellipsometry was employed to investigate thin film optical properties. Significant second harmonic generation capabilities of the compound were pointed out by using a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser.

A characterization of wave-to-plasma interaction in a quasi-flat magnetostatic field at 3.75 GHz has been carried out by using a small-wire movable RF antenna, connected to a spectrum analyzer. The coupling between electromagnetic and electrostatic waves leads to a characteristic spectral emission in low frequency range and around the pumping wave frequency. The most relevant results consist in the broadening of the pumping wave spectrum above critical RF power thresholds and in the generation of sidebands of the pumping frequency, with corresponding components in low frequency domain. The non-linearities are accompanied by the generation of overdense plasmas and intense fluxes of X-rays. PMID:26931915

A chirped pulse, spectrally broadened in a photonic bandgap optical fiber by 120 fs Ti:Sapphire laser pulses, is parametrically amplified in a BBO crystal pumped by a frequency doubled nanosecond Nd:YAG laser pulse. Without changing the frequency of the Ti:Sapphire, a spectral tunability of the amplified pulses is demonstrated. The possibility to achieve broader spectral range amplification is confirmed for a non-collinear pump-signal interaction geometry. For optimal non-collinear interaction geometry, the pulse duration of the original and amplified pulse are similar. Finally, we demonstrate that the combination of two BBO crystals makes it possible to spectrally shape the amplified pulses. PMID:19475076

We demonstrate distinct sets of broadband up-converted multicolor array (BUMA) signals in a thin transparent medium with an intense 800 nm fundamental pulse (FP) and a weak, unfiltered super-continuum white light (SCWL) in a crossing geometry. Upon varying the time delay between the two incident laser pulses, continuously tunable BUMA signals in the visible to near-IR range sequentially emerge on either side of the FP, in both BBO crystal and BK7 glass. Through numerical calculations at intrinsic phase-matching conditions, the BUMA signals on the SCWL side are shown to arise from the interaction mainly between χ(3)-based four-wave optical parametric amplification and cascaded four-wave mixing processes. The temporally controllable broadband BUMA signals with amplification and tunability all in one thin transparent medium are highly suitable for ultrafast laser spectroscopy and optical communication networks.

An inexpensive and compact frequency multi-mode diode laser enables a compact two-photon polarization entanglement source via the continuous wave broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Entanglement degradation caused by polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is one of the critical issues in optical fiber-based polarization entanglement distribution. We theoretically and experimentally investigate how the initial entanglement is degraded when the two-photon polarization entangled state undergoes PMD. We report an effect of PMD unique to broadband pumped SPDC, equally applicable to pulsed pumping as well as cw broadband pumping, which is that the amount of the entanglement degradation is asymmetrical to the PMD introduced to each quantum channel. We believe that our results have important applications in long-distance distribution of polarization entanglement via optical fiber channels. PMID:27174100

An inexpensive and compact frequency multi-mode diode laser enables a compact two-photon polarization entanglement source via the continuous wave broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Entanglement degradation caused by polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is one of the critical issues in optical fiber-based polarization entanglement distribution. We theoretically and experimentally investigate how the initial entanglement is degraded when the two-photon polarization entangled state undergoes PMD. We report an effect of PMD unique to broadband pumped SPDC, equally applicable to pulsed pumping as well as cw broadband pumping, which is that the amount of the entanglement degradation is asymmetrical to the PMD introduced to each quantum channel. We believe that our results have important applications in long-distance distribution of polarization entanglement via optical fiber channels. PMID:27174100

An inexpensive and compact frequency multi-mode diode laser enables a compact two-photon polarization entanglement source via the continuous wave broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Entanglement degradation caused by polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is one of the critical issues in optical fiber-based polarization entanglement distribution. We theoretically and experimentally investigate how the initial entanglement is degraded when the two-photon polarization entangled state undergoes PMD. We report an effect of PMD unique to broadband pumped SPDC, equally applicable to pulsed pumping as well as cw broadband pumping, which is that the amount of the entanglement degradation is asymmetrical to the PMD introduced to each quantum channel. We believe that our results have important applications in long-distance distribution of polarization entanglement via optical fiber channels.

The pre-clinical diagnostics is essential for management of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although PD has been studied intensively in the last decades, the pre-clinical indicators of that motor disorder have yet to be established. Several approaches were proposed but the definitive method is still lacking. Here we report on the non-linear characteristics of surface electromyogram (sEMG) and tremor acceleration as a possible diagnostic tool, and, in prospective, as a predictor for PD. Following this approach we calculated such non-linear parameters of sEMG and accelerometer signal as correlation dimension, entropy, and determinism. We found that the non-linear parameters allowed discriminating some 85% of healthy controls from PD patients. Thus, this approach offers considerable potential for developing sEMG-based method for pre-clinical diagnostics of PD. However, non-linear parameters proved to be more reliable for the shaking form of PD, while diagnostics of the rigid form of PD using EMG remains an open question. PMID:24062722

Single crystasls of the coordination complex non-linear optical crystal material, MMTC with dimensions of 12×8×6 mm3 were grown from aqueous solutions by slow evaporation technique. The mechanical properties and piezoelectric properties of the crystals were studied.

The study presented is an investigation of the non-linear dynamics and stability of simply supported, circular cylindrical shells containing inviscid incompressible fluid flow. Non-linearities due to large-amplitude shell motion are considered by using the non-linear Donnell's shallow shell theory, with account taken of the effect of viscous structural damping. Linear potential flow theory is applied to describe the fluid-structure interaction. The system is discretiszd by Galerkin's method, and is investigated by using a model involving seven degrees of freedom, allowing for travelling wave response of the shell and shell axisymmetric contraction. Two different boundary conditions are applied to the fluid flow beyond the shell, corresponding to: (i) infinite baffles (rigid extensions of the shell), and (ii) connection with a flexible wall of infinite extent in the longitudinal direction, permitting solution by separation of variables; they give two different kinds of dynamical behaviour of the system, as a consequence of the fact that axisymmetric contraction, responsible for the softening non-linear dynamical behaviour of shells, is not allowed if the fluid flow beyond the shell is constrained by rigid baffles. Results show that the system loses stability by divergence.

Most of the physiological signals (EEG, ECG, blood flow, human gait, etc.) characterize by complex dynamics including both non-stationarities and non-linearities. These time series resemble red noise with long-range correlation and 1/(f beta) power spectrum. A question arises as to how to distinguish the characteristics of the process underlying the signal dynamics from the properties of the observed time series. The classical methods to determine possible non-linear (chaotic) dynamics (e.g. correlation dimension) often fail in such signals because of relatively short data records containing stochastic components and non-stationarities. We report an application of several approaches, aimed at (1) determining of the non-stationarities in the signals and (2) testing whether non-linear dynamics exists. Assessment of the intrinsic correlation properties of the dynamic process and distinguishing the same from external trends was performed using singular spectra and detrended fluctuation analysis. The existence of non-linear dynamics was tested by correlation dimension (modified algorithm of re-embedding) and by correlation integrals of real and surrogate data. The correlation integrals of real signal and surrogate data sets were statistically compared using Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. The procedures were tested on EEG and laser-Doppler (LD) blood flow. Our suggestion is that no one approach taken alone is the best for our aims. Instead, a battery of methods should be used. PMID:10194935

We report results on the temporal-spatial modeling of non-linear electron density enhancement due to successive lightning strokes using World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data to experimentally describe the rate of large lightning strokes. The WWLLN provides real-time lightning locations globally by measuring the very low frequency (VLF) radiation emanating from lightning discharges. These WWLLN stroke rates are used as input to an axi-symmetric FDTD model that describes the non-linear effect of lightning electromagnetic pulses (EMP) on the ionosphere. This non-linear effect results from accumulating electron density modifications due to the interaction of the EMP from multiple successive lightning strokes with the lower ionosphere. Further studies must be completed to narrow uncertainties in the model, but the qualitative ionospheric response to successive EMPs is presented in two-dimensional, axi-symmetric space. Results from this study show that the non-linear effect of lightning EMP due to successive lightning strokes must be taken into account and varies with altitude. The limiting maximum electron density is reached earlier in time for higher altitudes, and the most significant effect occurs at 88 km. The limiting maximum modeled electron density profile in the 83- to 91-km altitude range does not depend on the initial electron density.

We study the boundedness of solutions for non-linear quasi-periodic differential equations with Liouvillean frequencies. We proved that if the forcing is quasi-periodic in time with two frequencies which is not super-Liouvillean, then all solutions of the equation are bounded. The proof is based on action-angle variables and modified KAM theory.

Plasma based accelerators are capable of sustaining very high acceleration gradients when compared to conventional accelerators. In particular plasma based accelerators operating in non-linear regimes reached the 100GV/m. One of the challenges for a future plasma based collider is to accelerate positrons in non-linear regimes. Although novel techniques have been investigated to this end, it is still important to propose and explore other new configurations for positron acceleration in non-linear regimes. In this context we suggest a novel process for positron acceleration in non-linear plasma wakefields, where a tightly focused positron drive beam expels the plasma ions forming a hollow channel with large accelerating and focusing wakefields suitable for positron acceleration. We introduce the setup of the proposed scheme and illustrate it with analytical and numerical results of a 3D numerical simulations performed with the PIC code OSIRS. Moreover, we discuss the optimal conditions for the positron drive beam stability. This work was partially supported by FCT grant SFRH / BD / 84851 / 2012. We acknowledge PRACE for access to resources on SuperMUC (Leibniz Research Center).

This paper uses an Activity Theory framework to evaluate the use of a novel, multi-screen, non-linear presentation tool. The Thunder tool allows presenters to manipulate and annotate multiple digital slides and to concurrently display a selection of juxtaposed resources across a wall-sized projection area. Conventional, single screen presentation…

In this work, a general technique to obtain the self-consistent linearization of non-linear formulations of the boundary element method (BEM) is presented. In the incremental-iterative procedure required to solve the non-linear problem the convergence is quadratic, being the solution obtained from the consistent tangent operator. This technique is applied to non-linear BEM formulations for plates where two independent problems are discussed: the plate bending and the stretching problem. For both problems an equilibrium equation is written in terms of strains and internal forces and then the consistent tangent operator is derived by applying the Newton-Raphson’s scheme. The Von Mises criterion is adopted to govern the elasto-plastic material behaviour checked at points along the plate thickness, although the presented formulations can be used with any non-linear model. Numerical examples are presented showing the accuracy of the results as well as the high convergence rate of the iterative procedure.

We study non-linear massive gravity in the spherically symmetric context. Our main motivation is to investigate the effect of helicity-0 mode which remains elusive after analysis of cosmological perturbation around an open Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) universe. The non-linear form of the effective energy-momentum tensor stemming from the mass term is derived for the spherically symmetric case. Only in the special case where the area of the two sphere is not deviated away from the FLRW universe, the effective energy momentum tensor becomes completely the same as that of cosmological constant. This opens a window for discriminating the non-linear massive gravity from general relativity (GR). Indeed, by further solving these spherically symmetric gravitational equations of motion in vacuum to the linear order, we obtain a solution which has an arbitrary time-dependent parameter. In GR, this parameter is a constant and corresponds to the mass of a star. Our result means that Birkhoff's theorem no longer holds in the non-linear massive gravity and suggests that energy can probably be emitted superluminously (with infinite speed) on the self-accelerating background by the helicity-0 mode, which could be a potential plague of this theory.

Instructional modules are typically designed with the linear format of PowerPoint slide sets, thus mimicking classroom-based instruction with its temporal and spatial constraints. In an attempt to make instructional modules more student-centered and thus more individualized for online education, a prototype non-linear module was developed on the…

The POLAR experiment is a joint Chinese-European project conceived for a precise measurement of gamma ray polarization and optimized for the detection of the prompt emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) in the energy range 50-500 keV. POLAR is a novel compact space-borne Compton polarimeter consisting of 1600 low-Z plastic scintillator bars (EJ-248M), read out by 25 flat-panel multi-anode photomultiplier tubes. In the paper, we first present a dedicated experiment to study the non-linear energy response of EJ-248M plastic scintillator bars to electrons and the detailed data analysis. Second we obtained the Birks' constant of EJ-248M plastic scintillator as kB = 0.143 mm / MeV by least squares fitting. Finally we used Geant4 simulation to study the influence of non-linear energy response on the performance of POLAR, through which it was found that non-linear energy response will lead to a significant decrease in statistics and result in larger uncertainty in polarization measurement. The paper presents a general solution to the study of non-linear energy response of plastic scintillators to electrons.

Previous research in finite element formulation of flexible mechanisms usually neglected high order terms in the strain-energy function. In particular, the quartic term of the displacement gradient is always neglected due to the common belief that it is not important in the dynamic analysis. In this paper, we show that this physical intuition is not always valid. By retaining all the high order terms in the strain-energy function the equations of motion naturally become non-linear, which can then be solved by the Newmark method. In the low-speed range it is found that the dynamic responses predicted by non-linear and linear approaches indeed make no significant difference. However, when the rotation speed increases up to about one-fifth of the fundamental bending natural frequency of the connecting rod, simplified approaches begin to incur noticeable error. Specifically, for a connecting rod with a slenderness ratio of 0·01 the conventional simplified approaches overestimate the vibration amplitude almost 10-fold when the rotation speed is comparable to the fundamental natural frequency of the connecting rod. Therefore, non-linear finite element formulation taking into account the complete non-linear strain is needed in analyzing high-speed flexible mechnisms with slender links.

This paper presents the use of a scanning laser vibrometer and a signal decomposition method to characterize non-linear dynamics of highly flexible structures. A Polytec PI PSV-200 scanning laser vibrometer is used to measure transverse velocities of points on a structure subjected to a harmonic excitation. Velocity profiles at different times are constructed using the measured velocities, and then each velocity profile is decomposed using the first four linear mode shapes and a least-squares curve-fitting method. From the variations of the obtained modal \\ielocities with time we search for possible non-linear phenomena. A cantilevered titanium alloy beam subjected to harmonic base-excitations around the second. third, and fourth natural frequencies are examined in detail. Influences of the fixture mass. gravity. mass centers of mode shapes. and non-linearities are evaluated. Geometrically exact equations governing the planar, harmonic large-amplitude vibrations of beams are solved for operational deflection shapes using the multiple shooting method. Experimental results show the existence of 1:3 and 1:2:3 external and internal resonances. energy transfer from high-frequency modes to the first mode. and amplitude- and phase- modulation among several modes. Moreover, the existence of non-linear normal modes is found to be questionable.

The purpose of this experiment was to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive model for the analysis of hypermap navigation patterns through a comparison of navigation patterns associated with a traditional linear interface versus a non-linear "hypermap" interface. Twenty-six general psychology university students studied material on bipolar…

This paper focuses on a specific topic and contention: Non-linear editing earns its place in a liberal arts setting because it is a superior tool to teach the concepts of how moving picture discourse is constructed through editing. The paper first points out that most students at small liberal arts colleges are not going to wind up working…

We show that the treatment of pendulum movement, other than the linear approximation,may be an instructive experimentally based introduction to the physics of non-linear effects. Firstly the natural frequency of a gravitational pendulum is measured as function of its amplitude. Secondly forced oscillations of a gravitational pendulum are…

Objective: To investigate the use of non-linear-blending and monochromatic dual-energy CT (DECT) images to improve the image quality of hepatic venography. Methods: 82 patients undergoing abdominal DECT in the portal venous phase were enrolled. For each patient, 31 data sets of monochromatic images and 7 data sets of non-linear-blending images were generated. The data sets of the non-linear-blending and monochromatic images with the best contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) for hepatic veins were selected and compared with the images obtained at 80 kVp and a simulated 120 kVp. The subjective image quality of the hepatic veins was evaluated using a four-point scale. The image quality of the hepatic veins was analysed using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and CNR values. Results: The optimal CNR between hepatic veins and the liver was obtained with the non-linear-blending images. Compared with the other three groups, there were significant differences in the maximum CNR, the SNR, the subjective ratings and the minimum background noise (p non-linear-blending technique for acquiring DECT provided the best image quality for hepatic venography. Advances in knowledge: DECT can enhance the contrast of hepatic veins and the liver, potentially allowing the wider use of low-dose contrast agents for CT examination of the liver. PMID:25051976

This study presents a catchment characteristic sensitivity analysis concerning the non-linearity of rainfall-runoff response in 120 UK catchments. Two approaches were adopted. The first approach involved, for each catchment, regression of a power-law to flow rate gradient data for recession events only. This approach was referred to as the recession analysis (RA). The second approach involved calibrating a rainfall-runoff model to the full data set (both recession and non-recession events). The rainfall-runoff model was developed by combining a power-law streamflow routing function with a one parameter probability distributed model (PDM) for soil moisture accounting. This approach was referred to as the rainfall-runoff model (RM). Step-wise linear regression was used to derive regionalization equations for the three parameters. An advantage of the RM approach is that it utilizes much more of the observed data. Results from the RM approach suggest that catchments with high base-flow and low annual precipitation tend to exhibit greater non-linearity in rainfall-runoff response. In contrast, the results from the RA approach suggest that non-linearity is linked to low evaporative demand. The difference in results is attributed to the aggregation of storm-flow and base-flow into a single system giving rise to a seemingly more non-linear response when applying the RM approach to catchments that exhibit a strongly dual storm-flow base-flow response. The study also highlights the value and limitations in a regionlization context of aggregating storm-flow and base-flow pathways into a single non-linear routing function.

1. Intracellular recordings have been made from the blowfly (Calliphora erythrocephala) retinula cell; apart from the transducer mechanism, these cells also feature a pupil mechanism. 2. At several mean intensity levels, within the apparently linear range of response, frequency characteristics of amplitude and phase and responses to 'delta'-flashes and 'delta'-flash pairs have been obtained. 3. Fourier methods have shown these responses to be mutually compatible, confirming linearity in these circumstances. 4. Non-linear behaviour can be made to appear at the lower frequencies when the modulation depth is increased. 5. Non-linearities can also appear through application of the superposition test: a low frequency sine wave, modulated so as to elicit an apparently linear response, and a high frequence sine wave which does not give rise to non-linearity even at the highest modulation depths can, when superimposed, yield a greater response to the latter when situated at the minima of the former than at its maxima. 6. At frequencies above approximately 1 Hz these superposition non-linearities are attributed to the transducer mechanism gain control. Below this frequency the pupil mechanism takes part considerably in the retinula cell's total observed gain control: its characteristics remain yet to be cleared up. 7. The transducer's linear and non-linear properties fit in closely with those of the Fuortes-Hodgkin model which couples increases in gain and time constants. 8. The Fuortes-Hodgkin model will probably require some quantitative modifications in the originally treated case of Limulus, on account of its pupil. 9. Finally, the merits of Veringa's diffusion model, and the possibility of eventually joining this model with the Fuortes-Hodgkin one are pointed out briefly. PMID:1142250

We present the 2D redshift-space galaxy power spectrum, P(k, μ), measured from the Dark Sky simulations, using catalogues constructed with halo occupation distribution and subhalo abundance matching methods, chosen to represent an intermediate redshift sample of luminous red galaxies. We find that the information content in individual μ (cosine of the angle to the line of sight) bins is substantially richer then multipole moments, and show that this can be used to isolate the impact of non-linear growth and redshift-space distortion (RSD) effects. Using the μ < 0.2 simulation data, which is not impacted by RSD, we can successfully measure the non-linear bias to ˜5 per cent at k < 0.6 h Mpc-1. Using the low μ simulation data to constrain the non-linear bias, and μ ≥ 0.2 to constrain the growth rate, we show that f can be constrained to ˜26(22) per cent to a kmax < 0.4(0.6) h Mpc-1 from clustering alone using a dispersion model, for a range of galaxy models. Our analysis of individual μ bins reveals interesting physical effects which arise from different methods of populating haloes with galaxies. We find a prominent turnaround scale, at which RSD damping effects are greater than the non-linear growth, which differs for each galaxy model. The idea of separating non-linear growth and RSD effects making use of the full information in the 2D galaxy power spectrum yields significant improvements in constraining cosmological parameters and may be a promising probe of galaxy formation models.

Multidisciplinary interactions are expected to play a significant role in the design of future high-performance aircraft (Blended-Wing Body, Truss-Braced wing; High Speed Civil transport, High-Altitude Long Endurance aircraft and future military aircraft). Also, the availability of supercomputers has made it now possible to employ high-fidelity models (Computational Fluid Dynamics for fluids and detailed finite element models for structures) at the preliminary design stage. A necessary step at that stage is to calculate the wing angle-of-attack at which the wing will generate the desired lift for the specific flight maneuver. Determination of this angle, a simple affair when the wing is rigid and the flow regime linear, becomes difficult when the wing is flexible and the flow regime non-linear. To solve this inherently nonlinear problem, a Newton's method type algorithm is developed to simultaneously calculate the deflection and the angle of attack. The developed algorithm is tested for a wing, used for in-house aeroelasticity research at Boeing (previously McDonnell Douglas) Long Beach. The trim angle of attack is calculated for a range of desired lift values. In addition to the Newton's method algorithm, a non derivative method (NDM) based on fixed point iteration, typical of fixed angle of attack calculations in aeroelasticity, is employed. The NDM, which has been extended to be able to calculate trim angle of attack, is used for one of the cases. The Newton's method calculation converges in fewer iterations, but requires more CPU time than the NDM method. The NDM, however, results in a slightly different value of the trim angle of attack. It should be noted that NDM will converge in a larger number of iterations as the dynamic pressure increases. For one value of the desired lift, both viscous and inviscid results were generated. The use of the inviscid flow model while not resulting in a markedly different value for the trim angle of attack, does result in a

Purpose We aimed to develop pixelwise maps of tumor acidosis to aid in evaluating extracellular tumor pH (pHe) in cancer biology. Procedures MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 mouse models were imaged during a longitudinal study. AcidoCEST MRI and a series of image processing methods were used to produce parametric maps of tumor pHe, and tumor pHe was also measured with a pH microsensor. Results Sufficient contrast-to-noise for producing pHe maps was achieved by using standard image processing methods. A comparison of pHe values measured with acidoCEST MRI and a pH microsensor showed that acidoCEST MRI measured tumor pHe with an accuracy of 0.034 pH units. The MCF-7 tumor model was found to be more acidic compared to the MDA-MB-231 tumor model. The pHe was not related to tumor size during the longitudinal study. Conclusions These results show that acidoCEST MRI can create pixelwise tumor pHe maps of mouse models of cancer. PMID:25622809

The reconstruction of seasonal variations in the paleo-environement is possible thanks to the bivalve shells that are commonly found back in archeological sites and that are sensitive environmental recorders. To do these reconstructions we look to the chemical composition of a shell along his growth axis. When a certain element or isotope can be related to an environmental parameter it is called a proxy for that parameter. Many elemental and isotopic have been proposed as potential temperature proxy. But the same problem is showing up over and over again: a certain elemental shows a good linear correlation with temperature, but at the moment that the intrinsic variation has to be explained, the incorporation of the proxy seems to be much more complex than assumed in the first instance. Two observations gave us the idea to use a new type of models to reconstruct temperature. In first instance we observed that all proxy incorporations were always influenced by more than one environmental parameter, which automatically implicate that the reconstruction of an environmental parameter should be done with more than one proxy input. A second observation is that some proxy-environment relations seemed to be non-linear. We propose to do climate reconstructions based on Non-linear multi-proxy models. We will present our own intuitive approach to do temperature reconstructions and we will compare our results to two recognized engineering techniques: Manifold learning and Supported vector machines. These three methods are validated on shell data of Scheldt estuarine environment using high resolution measurements of Mg, Mn, Ba, Sr and Pb on a LA-ICP-MS. The site specificity is tested for all methods using shell-data from 4 different sites along the Scheldt. Time specificity is checked by reconstructing the temperature corresponding to a shell that grew in another year. The best reconstructions are computed with the manifold learning algorithms, but the simplicity and high

During the AMPTE lithium releases in the solar wind intense electrostatic waves with frequencies between a few tens of Hz to several kHz were observed outside the diamagnetic cavity. The results of linear Vlasov theory have suggested that these waves may be generated through two types of instabilities. One is the ion-ion instability associated with the relative drift between the lithium ions and the solar wind protons, and the other is the ion-acoustic instability due to the relative drift between the electrons and the ions. In order to look at the non-linear behavior of the wave-particle interactions, and discern the effect of waves on the particles, full particle electrostatic simulations have been performed, and the results are presented here. It is shown that the ion-ion instability whose phase velocity is oblique to the solar wind velocity can cause considerable anisotropic 'heating' of both the lithium ions and the solar wind protons.

Quantifying large-scale (basin/global) water storage changes is essential to understand the Earth's hydrological water cycle. Hydrological models have usually been used to simulate variations in storage compartments resulting from changes in water fluxes (i.e., precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff) considering physical or conceptual frameworks. Models however represent limited skills in accurately simulating the storage compartments that could be the result of e.g., the uncertainty of forcing parameters, model structure, etc. In this regards, data assimilation provides a great chance to combine observational data with a prior forecast state to improve both the accuracy of model parameters and to improve the estimation of model states at the same time. Various methods exist that can be used to perform data assimilation into hydrological models. The one more frequently used particle-based algorithms suitable for non-linear systems high-dimensional systems is the Ensemble Kalman Filtering (EnKF). Despite efficiency and simplicity (especially in EnKF), this method indicate some drawbacks. To implement EnKF, one should use the sample covariance of observations and model state variables to update a priori estimates of the state variables. The sample covariance can be suboptimal as a result of small ensemble size, model errors, model nonlinearity, and other factors. Small ensemble can also lead to the development of correlations between state components that are at a significant distance from one another where there is no physical relation. To investigate the under-sampling issue raise by EnKF, covariance inflation technique in conjunction with localization was implemented. In this study, a comparison between latest methods used in the data assimilation framework, to overcome the mentioned problem, is performed. For this, in addition to implementing EnKF, we introduce and apply the Local Ensemble Kalman Filter (LEnKF) utilizing covariance localization to remove

The Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) of the zonal circulation observed in the terrestrial atmosphere at low latitudes is driven by wave mean flow interaction as was demonstrated first by Lindzen and Holton (1968), shown in a laboratory experiment by Plumb and McEwan (1978), and modeled by others (e.g., Plumb, Dunkerton). Although influenced by the seasonal cycle of solar forcing, the QBO, in principle, represents a nonlinear flow oscillation that can be maintained by a steady source of upward propagating waves. The wave driven non-linearity is of third or odd order in the flow velocity, which regenerates the fundamental harmonic itself to keep the oscillation going - the fluid dynamical analog of the displacement mechanism in the mechanical clock. Applying Hines' Doppler Spread Parameterization (DSP) for gravity waves (GW), we discuss with a global-scale spectral model numerical experiments that elucidate some properties of the QBO and its possible effects on the climatology of the atmosphere. Depending on the period of the QBO, wave filtering can cause interaction with the seasonal variations to produce pronounced oscillations with beat periods around 10 years. Since the seasonal cycle and its variability influence the period of the QBO, it may also be a potent conduit of solar activity variations to lower altitudes. Analogous to the terrestrial QBO, we propose that a flow oscillation may account for the 22-year periodicity of the solar magnetic cycle, potentially answering Dicke (1978) who asked, "Is there a chronometer hidden deep inside the Sun?" The oscillation would occur below the convection region, where gravity waves can propagate. Employing a simplified, analytic model, Hines' DSP is applied to estimate the flow oscillation. Depending on the adopted horizontal wavelengths of GW's, wave amplitudes less than 10 m/s can be made to produce oscillating zonal flows of about 20 m/s that should be large enough to generate a significant oscillation in the magnetic

This paper studies the approach of model predictive control (MPC) for the non-linear systems under networked environment where both data quantization and packet loss may occur. The non-linear controlled plant in the networked control system (NCS) is represented by a Tagaki-Sugeno (T-S) model. The sensed data and control signal are quantized in both links and described as sector bound uncertainties by applying sector bound approach. Then, the quantized data are transmitted in the communication networks and may suffer from the effect of packet losses, which are modeled as Bernoulli process. A fuzzy predictive controller which guarantees the stability of the closed-loop system is obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. PMID:26341070

A fast and reliable non-linear heterogeneous FE approach specifically conceived for the analysis of FRP-reinforced masonry arches is presented. The approach proposed relies into the reduction of mortar joints to interfaces exhibiting a non-linear holonomic behavior, with a discretization of bricks by means of four-noded elastic elements. The FRP reinforcement is modeled by means of truss elements with elastic-brittle behavior, where the peak tensile strength is estimated by means of a consolidated approach provided by the Italian guidelines CNR-DT200 on masonry strengthening with fiber materials, where the delamination of the strip from the support is taken into account. The model is validated against some recent experimental results relying into circular masonry arches reinforced at both the intrados and the extrados. Some sensitivity analyses are conducted varying the peak tensile strength of the trusses representing the FRP reinforcement.

We present fully non-linear and exact cosmological perturbation equations in the presence of multiple components of fluids and minimally coupled scalar fields. We ignore the tensor-type perturbation. The equations are presented without taking the temporal gauge condition in the Friedmann background with general curvature and the cosmological constant. We include the anisotropic stress. Even in the absence of anisotropic stress of individual component, the multiple component nature introduces the anisotropic stress in the collective fluid quantities. We prove the Newtonian limit of multiple fluids in the zero-shear gauge and the uniform-expansion gauge conditions, present the Newtonian hydrodynamic equations in the presence of general relativistic pressure in the zero-shear gauge, and present the fully non-linear equations and the third-order perturbation equations of the non-relativistic pressure fluids in the CDM-comoving gauge.

A non-linear viscoelastic viscoplastic model is proposed for the tensile behaviour of aramid fibres, based on an analysis of the deformation mechanisms of these materials. This model uses the macroscopic formulation developed by Schapery together with the plasticity concept of Perzyna. A simple identification procedure for the model parameters has been developed using creep/recovery cycles at different load levels. The identification reveals that two of the four parameters of the viscoelastic model (g1 and aσ) are independent of stress level. This may be due to the simple and regular nature of the fibre structure. The model enables the parameters which characterise the non-linear reversible viscoelasticity to be identified independently from those which characterise the viscoplasticity. The model predictions are compared to experimental data for a more complex load sequence and reasonable correlation is obtained.

The paper presents a theoretical result that clarifies when it is at all possible to determine the nonlinear dynamic equations of a biological system in stable oscillation, from measured data. As it turns out the minimal order needed for this is dependent on the minimal dimension in which the stable orbit of the system does not intersect itself. This is illustrated with a simulated fourth order Hodgkin-Huxley spiking neuron model, which is identified using a non-linear second order differential equation model. The simulated result illustrates that the underlying higher order model of the spiking neuron cannot be uniquely determined given only the periodic measured data. The result of the paper is of general validity when the dynamics of biological systems in stable oscillation is identified, and illustrates the need to carefully address non-linear identifiability aspects when validating models based on periodic data. PMID:26671817

A fairly reasonable result was obtained for non-linear engineering problems using the optimization techniques such as neural network, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic independently in the past. Increasingly, hybrid techniques are being used to solve the non-linear problems to obtain better output. This paper discusses the use of neuro-genetic hybrid technique to optimize the geological structure mapping which is known as seismic survey. It involves the minimization of objective function subject to the requirement of geophysical and operational constraints. In this work, the optimization was initially performed using genetic programming, and followed by hybrid neuro-genetic programming approaches. Comparative studies and analysis were then carried out on the optimized results. The results indicate that the hybrid neuro-genetic hybrid technique produced better results compared to the stand-alone genetic programming method.

We present a three-dimensional non-linear finite-element model of a 22-day-old newborn ear canal. The geometry is based on a clinical X-ray CT scan. A non-linear hyperelastic constitutive law is applied to model large deformations. The Young’s modulus of the soft tissue is found to have a significant effect on the ear-canal volume change, which ranges from approximately 27% to 75% over the static-pressure range of ±3 kPa. The effects of Poisson’s ratio and of the ratio C10:C01 in the hyperelastic model are found to be small. The volume changes do not reach a plateau at high pressures, which implies that the newborn ear-canal wall would not be rigid in tympanometric measurements. The displacements and volume changes calculated from the model are compared with available experimental data. PMID:17225406

L-arginine combines with a variety of salts and acids to form a potential non-linear optical material. Nano crystals of L-arginine-Sulphate (LAS) have been grown from solution by the slow evaporation technique for the first time. The single phase formation has been verified by XRD studies. TEM studies confirm the formation of nanocrystallites of particle size of about 34nm. The optical absorption studies shows presence of a sharp UV cut-off region at 239.57nm. Further the presence of wide transparency window in the entire visible region shows its use for optoelectronic applications. Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) confirms the presence of potassium and sulphur in the grown nanocrystal of LAS. Fungus growth has been avoided by subjecting the solution to pre-heat treatment. Preliminary studies indicate presence of non-linear optical (NLO) response.

A compact, time-explicit, approximate solution of the highly non-linear relative motion in curvilinear coordinates is provided under the assumption of circular orbit for the chief spacecraft. The rather compact, three-dimensional solution is obtained by algebraic manipulation of the individual Keplerian motions in curvilinear, rather than Cartesian coordinates, and provides analytical expressions for the secular, constant and periodic terms of each coordinate as a function of the initial relative motion conditions or relative orbital elements. Numerical test cases are conducted to show that the approximate solution can be effectively employed to extend the classical linear Clohessy-Wiltshire solution to include non-linear relative motion without significant loss of accuracy up to a limit of 0.4-0.45 in eccentricity and 40-45° in relative inclination for the follower. A very simple, quadratic extension of the classical Clohessy-Wiltshire solution in curvilinear coordinates is also presented.

Numerical methods are presented that exploit the polynomial properties of discretizations of the Euler equations. It is noted that most finite difference or finite volume discretizations of the steady-state Euler equations produce a polynomial system of equations to be solved. These equations are solved using classical polynomial elimination theory, with some innovative modifications. This paper also presents some preliminary results of a new non-linear stability analysis technique. This technique is applicable to determining the stability of polynomial iterative schemes. Results are presented for applying the elimination technique to a one-dimensional test case. For this test case, the exact solution is computed in three iterations. The non-linear stability analysis is applied to determine the optimal time step for solving Burgers' equation using the MacCormack scheme. The estimated optimal time step is very close to the time step that arises from a linear stability analysis.

Median motor and sensory nerves were examined in 20 healthy subjects. Superficial stimulating and recording electrodes were used, and the nerves were examined at natural skin temperature, after cooling and after heating of the arm. The conduction velocity for the fastest and slow conducting sensory fibres (temperature range 17-37 degrees C), and for the fastest conducting motor fibres (temperature range 19-38 degrees C) increased non-linearly with increase in skin temperature. Similarly, distal motor latencies increased non-linearly with decrease in skin temperature. The effect of temperature was most pronounced in the low temperature range, and change in conduction velocity per degree centigrade was reduced toward higher skin temperature. Sensory nerve response duration increased linearly with decline in skin temperature. Sensory and motor amplitude did not show any significant relation to skin temperature. PMID:2738592

The analysis of the mixed analogue and digital structure of charge-pump phase-locked loops (CP-PLL) is a challenge in modelling and simulation. In most cases the system is designed and characterized using its continuous linear model or its discrete linear model neglecting its non-linear switching behaviour. I.e., the time-varying model is approximated by a time-invariant representation using its average dynamics. Depending on what kind of phase detector is used, the scopes of validity of these approximations are different. Here, a preeminent characterization and simulation technique based on the systems event-driven feature is presented, merging the logical and analogue inherent characteristics of the system. In particular, the high-grade non-linear locking process and the dead-zone are analyzed.

Hydrostatic bearings of a large vertical pump using sodium as the lubricant were critically examined to determine their ability to withstand seismic loads. Initial linear dynamics analyses predicted journal displacements to exceed bearing clearance by a ratio of 3:1. Equivalent time-history excitations were then developed from the response spectra to determine the number, magnitude, and duration of the bearing impact loads. Predicted loads were further reduced by 50% by modeling non-linear bearing characteristics normally present but not generally included in conventional linear analyses. Results are presented of the comprehensive design evaluation performed, based on these non-linear predictions, that assess stress, wear, and fatigue to demonstrate hydrostatic bearing integrity.

The advancement of non-linear processing methods for generic automatic clarification of turbid imagery has led us from extensions of entirely passive multiscale Retinex processing to a new framework of active measurement and control of the enhancement process called the Visual Servo. In the process of testing this new non-linear computational scheme, we have identified that feature visibility limits in the post-enhancement image now simplify to a single signal-to-noise figure of merit: a feature is visible if the feature-background signal difference is greater than the RMS noise level. In other words, a signal-to-noise limit of approximately unity constitutes a lower limit on feature visibility.

The low solubility of drugs, which poses a serious problem in drug development, can in part be overcome by the use of cyclodextrins (CDs) and their derivatives. Here, the key to solubilisation is identified as the formation of inclusion complexes with the drug molecule. If inclusion complexation were the only contribution to drug solubility, it would increase linearly with CD concentration (as per the Higuchi-Connors model); this is because inclusion complexation is a 1 : 1 stoichiometric process. However, solubility curves often deviate from this linearity, whose mechanism is yet to be understood. Here we aim to clarify the origin of such non-linearity, based on the Kirkwood-Buff and the McMillan-Mayer theories of solutions. The rigorous statistical thermodynamic theory shows that non-linearity of solubilisation can be rationalised by two contributions: CD-drug interaction and the drug-induced change of CD-CD interaction. PMID:27206059

We develop the transport operator formalism, a new line-of-sight integration framework to calculate the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at the linear and non-linear level. This formalism utilises a transformation operator that removes all inhomogeneous propagation effects acting on the photon distribution function, thus achieving a split between perturbative collisional effects at recombination and non-perturbative line-of-sight effects at later times. The former can be computed in the framework of standard cosmological perturbation theory with a second-order Boltzmann code such as SONG, while the latter can be treated within a separate perturbative scheme allowing the use of non-linear Newtonian potentials. We thus provide a consistent framework to compute all physical effects contained in the Boltzmann equation and to combine the standard remapping approach with Boltzmann codes at any order in perturbation theory, without assuming that all sources are localised at recombination.

The neoclassical viscous stress tensor is implemented in the non-linear MHD code XTOR-2F (Lütjens and Luciani 2010 J. Comput. Phys. 229 8130-43), allowing consistent bi-fluid simulations of MHD modes, including the metastable branch of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) (Carrera et al 1986 Phys. Fluids 29 899-902). Equilibrium flows and bootstrap current from the neoclassical theory are formally recovered in this Chew-Goldberger-Low formulation. The non-linear behaviour of the new model is verified on a test case coming from a Tore Supra non-inductive discharge. A NTM threshold that is larger than with the previous model is obtained. This is due to the fact that the velocity is now part of the bootstrap current and that it differs from the theoretical neoclassical value.

This paper presents a predictive control algorithm for non-linear systems based on successive linearizations of the non-linear dynamic around a given trajectory. A linear time varying model is obtained and the non-convex constrained optimization problem is transformed into a sequence of locally convex ones. The robustness of the proposed algorithm is addressed adding a convex contractive constraint. To account for linearization errors and to obtain more accurate results an inner iteration loop is added to the algorithm. A simple methodology to obtain an outer bounding-tube for state trajectories is also presented. The convergence of the iterative process and the stability of the closed-loop system are analyzed. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in controlling a quadcopter type unmanned aerial vehicle. PMID:26850752

Two new chalcones viz 3-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (1) and 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (2) have been prepared and characterized by micro analyses, 1H NMR, IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray. The first static hyperpolarizability (β) for both the compounds has been investigated by density functional theory (DFT). Also, the solvent-induced effects on the non-linear optical properties (NLO) were studied by using self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) method. As the solvent polarity increases, the β value increases monotonically. The electronic absorption bands of both 1 and 2 have been assigned by time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). Both the compounds displayed better non-linear optical (NLO) responses than the standard p-nitroaniline (pNA).

A simplified model has been developed to simulate non-linear RF losses on Nb surfaces exclusively due to topographical enhancement of surface magnetic fields. If local sharp edges are small enough, at locations where local surface fields exceed Hc, small volumes of material may become normal conducting without thermal leading to quench. These small volumes of normal material yield increases in the effective surface resistance of the Nb. Using topographic data from typical BCP?d and EP?d fine grain niobium surfaces, we have simulated field-dependent losses and found that when extrapolated to resulting cavity performance, these losses correspond well to characteristic BCP/EP high field Q0 performance differences for fine grain Nb. We describe the structure of the model, its limitations, and the effects of this type of non-linear loss contribution on SRF cavities.

Although mechanical joints are integral parts of most practical structures, their modelling and their effects on structural dynamics are not yet fully understood. This represents a serious impediment to accurate modelling of the dynamics and to the development of reduced-order, finite element models capable of describing the effects of mechanical joints on the dynamics. In this work we provide an experimental study to quantify the non-linear effects of a typical shear lap joint on the dynamics of two structures: a beam with a bolted joint in its center; and a frame with a bolted joint in one of its members. Both structures are subjected to a variety of dynamical tests to determine the non-linear effects of the joints. The tests reveal several important influences on the effective stiffness and damping of the lap joints. The possibility of using Iwan models to represent the experimentally observed joint effects is discussed.

In order to detect the quasi-stationary states of the heart within a cardiac cycle from echocardiography data, we present an algorithm that uses non-linear filtering and boundary detection. The non-linear filtering algorithm involves anisotropic diffusion to remove the speckle noise from the data and to smoothen the homogeneous regions while preserving the edges. Following this, we perform binary thresholding and boundary detection, and observe the positional changes in the region of interest. From a series of echocardiography images, we derived the regions of cardiac quiescence, which we then plotted on the electrocardiograph (ECG) R–R interval. It is observed that the quiescence occurs in the diastolic region of the ECG signal, but the position and length of quiescence varies across multiple cardiac cycles for the same individual. PMID:23366202

In this article, an adaptive integral sliding mode control scheme is addressed for switched non-linear systems in the presence of model uncertainties and external disturbances. The control law includes two parts: a slide mode controller for the reduced model of the plant and a compensation controller to deal with the non-linear systems with parameter uncertainties. The adaptive updated laws have been derived from the switched multiple Lyapunov function method, also an admissible switching signal with average dwell-time technique is given. The simplicity of the proposed control scheme facilitates its implementation and the overall control scheme guarantees the global asymptotic stability in the Lyapunov sense such that the sliding surface of the control system is well reached. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed approach.

A resistive random access memory (ReRAM) based on the memristive effect allows high-density integration through a cross-point array (CPA) structure. However, a significant common drawback of the CPA configuration is the crosstalk between cells. Here, we introduce a solution based on a novel heterojunction stack solely made of members of the perovskite manganite family Pr(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3 (PCMO) and CaMnO(3-δ) (CMO) which show electroforming-free bipolar resistive switching. The heterojunction consists of rectifying interfaces and shows a symmetrical and tunable non-linear current-voltage curve. The spectromicroscopic measurements support the scenario of specialized roles, with the memristive effect taking place at the active Al-PCMO interface via a redox mechanism, while non-linearity was achieved by adopting a rectifying double interface PCMO-CMO-PCMO. PMID:25794166